Medium
by KodiakWolfe13
Summary: "Uh…" Danny drawled. "I don't know. You all don't seem like the people to be haunted by ghosts, unless one of you decided to summon a demon or something. Are you sure you guys need a medium and not a guy that fixes doors?" JL/TT/DP. Mostly DP. (This is going to be the place I post ghostly ideas.)(AU)
1. We Need Help

**Disclaimer: I own everything. ... I'm just messing with you. I own _nothing_.**

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Ch.1: We Need Help

Danny slipped one of the two pet carriers he owned into the back seat of his truck, a white 1983 Chevrolet Blazer with an extended cab. The white American Curl inside looked up at him as he set the carrier down, tilting its head at him. The ebony-haired adult smiled at the cat, waving. The white ball of fluff meowed at him, blinking her amber eyes at him. Danny hummed before bending down to grab the second carrier.

As he set the second carrier on top of the first, he received a glare from the silver Oriental cat inside. Then again, the green glare always seemed to be on the cat's face, no matter what was going on. Danny glared at the cat, shaking his head at the feline. The silver _beast_ hissed at him unhappily, tail swishing behind her ominously. Danny stuck his tongue out, grabbing the metal door and shaking the cage a little. In retaliation, the cat clawed at his already thoroughly bandaged hands.

"OW!" Danny yelled, instantly drawing his hand away from the cage quickly. Amazingly enough, the caged demon had managed to snag some of his skin that had been bare of bandages. Glaring at the cat again, Danny cursed "Oh, you frikkin little demon! Why do I keep you around?"

"Maybe because the 'frikkin little demon' helps you with your job." Tucker suggested, peeking his head over the carriers while smiling and laughing. Sitting beside the carriers, he was the one in charge of making sure they didn't knock over.

Danny scowled at the cocoa-skinned boy. "Shut up…"

Tucker grinned cheekily and the ebony-haired boy heard Sam laughing in the passenger seat in the front. Danny rolled his eyes, opening the driver's door and reaching into the cup-holder in-between his and Sam's seat. The twenty-one-year-old grabbed the cardboard box in one of the holders and slipped another band-aid from the box, ignoring how Sam continued laughing. While placing the band-aid over the bleeding area, Danny walked around the back of the truck to make sure the dogs were there.

After making that they were there, Danny heard Sam call out her open window "Hey Danny, you've got some incoming company~!"

"Who is it?" The ebony-haired asked curiously, walking around the truck to close the backseat door. As he did, he saw his "incoming company," jumped from being startled, and released a loud "Holy _CRAP_!"

The Flash laughed. Batman raised an eyebrow at the startled male. Superman smiled awkwardly at the shorter, ebony-haired male with his hands on his hips. "Uh… It's Superman, Batman, and Flash. Your name is Danny, right? We would like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

Breathing heavily in an attempt to calm his racing heart, Danny pressed a hand to his face. Distantly, he could hear Sam and Tucker roaring with laughter in their seats. The dogs in the back were barking incessantly at the newcomers. Between her laughter, Sam was trying to shut them up but was failing. The roar in Danny's ears was a little unbearable.

Letting his hand drop to his side, Danny smiled at the heroes in front of him. "Sorry for that. I didn't expect _you_ to answer. I also didn't expect you to come see me today… Or ever."

Flash laughed a little more. "Haha, yeah. This morning, I didn't expect to meet anyone either! It's a big surprise for everyone. Well… Except Bats."

The Dark Knight stayed still as a statue, to which both of his allies rolled their eyes at. An exaggerated sigh fell from the Man of Steel's mouth while Flash silently debated poking the black-clad hero to make sure he was awake and alive. When the white eyes turned to the Flash though, all thoughts regarding such actions were vanished because of fear. Turning his eyes back to the young adult, Flash asked "What happened to your hands?"

Danny chuckled as he looked down at his bandaged hands. Looking up, he said with a strained smile "I hate my cat and my cat hates me."

Glancing at the open car door, Flash saw two cats in crates. Both were watching the heroes with little to no interest. One was perfectly still while the silver one's tail swished back and forth. Curiously, Flash asked "Which one?"

Danny walked over to the door and pointed at the Oriental. "This one. Her name is Hissy-Fit. She's more of a demon from hell than an actual cat."

"And the other?" Flash asked, ignoring how his two allies were giving him 'we need to do business now' looks.

Danny smiled. "Her name's Skittles. She actually likes people…and skittles, which is where her name came from."

Flash smiled and laughed.

"Anyways," Superman said. "we came to ask if you can help us out with your services."

Danny narrowed his eyes at the three heroes, wondering why they were approaching him about his job. A bunch of heroes didn't seem to be the kind of people needing help with the kind of problem he dealt with on a daily basis. His job was the reason they were standing in the driveway of a cabin belonging to a young couple high in the mountains.

"Uh…" Danny drawled. "I don't know. You all don't seem like the people to be haunted by ghosts, unless one of you decided to summon a demon or something. Are you sure you guys need a medium and not a guy that fixes doors?"

"It's a ghost." Batman stated seriously. It was the first time he had spoken to Danny and the ebony-haired male was surprised by how gravelly the older's voice was.

Danny crossed his arms over his chest, donning his own serious look. "Are you absolutely sure? I don't want to waste a trip to find out all you guys have is a foundation problem. It's not uncommon."

Batman narrowed his eyes at the younger male.

Superman took a step forward, standing in-between the two men to stop any arguments that might erupt between them. "Batman would know if it was a problem with the building. Trust me. He's really good about knowing these kinds of things. If he says it's a ghost, it's most likely a ghost."

"Why are you so worried?" Flash asked before he gasped. "Maybe you're a fraud!"

Danny laughed at the accusation, gaining a humorous smirk on his lips. Shaking his head, the man said "I _wish_. As of right now, I've got three ghost dogs in the back of my truck who are _still_ barking at you, another ghost human beside the cats, and yet another in my passenger seat. They make my life much more difficult than it needs to be."

"Hey!" Tucker yelled indignantly, peeking over the cat crates again. "You can't insult us when we have no way of defending ourselves!"

"Yeah! How would you like it if we gossiped about you to the other ghosts in our neighborhood, huh?" Sam agreed, giving the ebony-haired male a glare.

Danny gave the heroes a 'one minute' gesture before turning on his heel. "You do that _anyways_! They _still_ believe the only reason I can see them is because I drink the blood of infants and that you're my slaves. I'm allowed to complain every once in awhile!" Danny turned to the barking dogs while his two friends snickered to themselves. "And for the love of… HEY!" The dogs continued yapping away. The male gave them a wild look. "YO! SHUT UP!"

The dogs instantly fell quiet. The Saint Bernard, Cujo, whined. Firecracker, the Belgian sheepdog, began panting. The Irish wolfhound, Lock, collapsed to the floor and set his head in his paws.

Danny ignored his friend's snickers and turned back to the heroes again. "Sorry."

"Uh… It's ok…" Superman muttered, not quite sure what he and his friends just saw but was willing to accept it either way.

Danny sighed. "Alright. If you're convinced you've got a ghost, just tell me where to meet you all and I'll start driving."

"Hall of Justice, Washington, DC. How soon can you be there?" Batman asked.

Danny shrugged. "Without breaking any traffic laws, I can promise to be there within ten hours at the most. I don't expect to be there any sooner than seven hours but I'll probably get there within eight and a half. I plan on stopping along the way for some food. I haven't eaten much today."

Batman nodded. "You'll get to Washington in the middle of the night. I'll find a place for you to stay close to the Hall and send you the address. I'll expect to see you tomorrow morning around ten, understood?"

The twenty-one-year-old saluted. "Yup. I'll be there."

Batman nodded his acknowledgement while Superman smiled. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Danny."

With that last greeting, the three heroes were enveloped in a white light and then were gone. Danny stood mystified for a minute before being snapped out of his funk by Sam yelling at him. Rolling his eyes, the young adult shut the door to the backseat and got in the driver's seat, slamming the door behind.

"Alright, let's get our jam on!" Tucker cheered, already dancing in his seat.

Danny rolled his eyes as he turned the ignition. "Not yet, Tuck. You know I've got to call the Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez. Then we can jam out."

Sam pouted while Tucker groaned in the backseat. Batting her violet eyes, the ebony-haired girl asked "Can't you do that later? We've been wanting to listen to music all day!"

Danny smirked as he picked up the cell-phone sitting beside his box of band-aids. "Nope."

The two groaned again.

 _One Long Car Ride, One Peaceful Sleep, and One Rushed Morning Later…_

Danny turned off the ignition, scared to look at old clock in his just-as-old Blazer. His eyes were shut firmly closed and his hands were tight on the steering wheel. Shoulders and back tense, the young adult looked like he was being crammed into a tiny box. "Hey Sam, please tell me I'm not too late…"

Tucker and Sam were cringing at the time the clock read. "Uh… Danny… I'm sorry to say but this is the latest you've ever shown up for anything."

"How bad?"

"Yeah, it's noon."

Danny groaned, practically smashing his head against the steering wheel. "If what I've heard from the internet is true, Batman's going to kill me so hard…"

"Yup." Tucker agreed. There was hardly any sympathy in his voice.

Danny sighed and opened his door, silently sliding out. As he shut the door, Tucker and Sam magically appeared behind it. They tried assuring their ebony-haired friend that the Dark Knight wouldn't kill him, just brutally injure him. Danny glared at them as he grabbed the one carrier in the backseat. It was bigger than the other ones he had used the day before because it held both cats. Skittles and Hissy-Fit were quiet inside, lying beside each other without a problem. Hissy-Fit made sure to hiss at Danny though.

The male only rolled his eyes and shut the door behind, locking the car with his keys. After, he shouted "Cujo, Firecracker, Lock; let's go!"

The three big dogs jumped out from the back and crowded around the male. Hissy-Fit made sure to express her displeasure at the dogs while Skittles bounced her tail back and forth, tilting her head at them.

Danny paid them no mind and headed for the Hall of Justice entrance, walking in-between his two friends. The two ghosts were still trying to tell their living friend that Batman doesn't kill people. He only beats them within an inch of their life. He was going to be a-ok! He just had to believe in himself was all.

For a minute, Sam and Tucker's assurances made Danny feel better, knowing they liked messing with him and knowing he really wouldn't be beaten. Of course, all that security fell away the minute he walked in the Hall and saw Batman glaring at him with his arms over his chest. Superman stood beside him and, though he was much calmer, he was a little irritated as well.

As soon as they were inside, the dogs split up to investigate the front room that was bare of any tourists for the time being, running all around happily. Their absence appeased the demon cat, who only seemed to like Skittles. Sam and Tucker stayed beside their friend, ready to give moral support with sarcastic undertones.

As Danny walked up to the two heroes nervously, Batman sarcastically asked "What happened to your face?"

The ebony-haired boy unconsciously reached up and touched some of the band-aids lining his face. With a grimace, he explained "Hissy-Fit didn't want to get in the carrier this morning. She tried to rip my face off. She's part of the reason I'm late."

"What's the other reason?" Superman asked curiously.

Danny shrugged. "Got lost on my way here yesterday and arrived at the hotel later than expected. I slept through my alarm and woke up at ten. Then I had to get ready and then after being scratched to death, I had to apply antibiotics to my face. … Yeah, this cat hates my guts."

"What was the point in bringing them?" Batman asked, glaring at the animals staring up at him. As usual, Skittles seemed more curious than anything else and Hissy-Fit was more than happy to maul his face, something the Dark Knight picked up on and was not thrilled with.

"Animals, especially cats, see ghosts. I bring them along on jobs to help find them and such." Danny explained.

"We read that you saw ghosts on your website." Superman said, confused. Batman was looking at the young adult suspiciously.

Danny nodded at the simple statement. "I can but, if a ghost wants, they can hide from my sight. However, animals see them anytime they're in the vicinity. Skittles and Hissy-Fit are my backup, as well as my dogs and, to an extent, my ghostly friends."

"Wait, they're here?" Superman asked, alarmed.

The ebony-haired man nodded. "Yup. The dogs are running around, being idiots, and Sam and Tucker are staring you down. They keep waiting for Batman to beat the crap out of me for being late."

The Dark Knight wore an un-amused expression while Sam and Tucker snickered beside Danny. The young adult couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips at hearing the two's quiet laughing, trying to suppress the small quirk in his lips so not to irritate Batman further. It didn't quite work out the way Danny wanted it to.

"Alright, shall we get down to business?" Danny asked. Superman gestured for the young adult to follow him and led the medium to a door that required Superman to be scanned. Batman followed behind Danny, Sam, and Tucker silently, putting the young male on edge as he carried the cat carrier with both hands.

"This is so exciting." Tucker whispered sarcastically with a gigantic smile on his face. This earned a snort from Danny and a laugh from Sam.

After scanning the Man of Steel, the door opened and allowed entry for the two heroes and the medium. They stepped through and the door shut behind them automatically. The dogs followed behind, walking right through the doors. Danny grabbed their attention by snapping his fingers. Ignoring the heroes' looks, the young adult gestured for the three to investigate the building. Quick as bullets, they were taking off down the halls excitedly.

Sam waved after them sarcastically while Tucker shook his head in amusement.

As the dogs left the immediate vicinity, Danny felt another spectral presence in the building besides that of his friends and pets. It was faint but there. Danny was relieved to feel it and know that he hadn't wasted his time by coming to Washington for structural damage.

"I'm going to let the cats wander around and the dogs have already taken off. The cats will see the ghosts if I can't and the dogs, being ghosts and all, should draw the one haunting this place out. I'm going to wander around a little and get a feel of the place. I should be done within the hour and, if I'm not, I'd get comfortable. These things are either extremely quick or draw out for hours." Danny sighed, remembering all the times he had worked into the late hours of the night. "I hope this won't take long."

"You just jinxed it!" Tucker said, slapping a hand over his face and groaning. Sam made a disapproving clicking sound with her tongue against her teeth. Her head shook slowly, expressing her disapproval.

"Shut up!" Danny complained, bending and opening the door to the cat carrier.

"Excuse me?" Superman asked, confused. Batman was staring at the young adult suspiciously again, silently contemplating if the man might be a little nutty in the head. This entire thing could be a fraud for all he knew. He was just keeping doors and theories open for investigation, if they were needed at any point.

Danny blew his hair out of his face and looked at the Man of Steel as he opened the door. Hissy-Fit flew from the carrier, taking off down one of the halls without a second thought. Skittles was much calmer and chose to say hi to Danny before wandering off in a trot down another hallway. "If whatever I say doesn't make sense, you can safely assume I'm not talking to you. I'm surrounded by idiots all the time."

"HEY!"

"Ok?" Superman half-asked, half-said. He shared a look with his black-clad friend and the Dark Knight shrugged. The Man of Steel frowned.

Danny rolled his eyes and waved, ignoring how his ghost friends were trying to get his attention furiously. "Yell if you need me. I'll certainly yell if I get lost."

With that being said, Danny drifted off down the hallway Skittles had taken. Tucker and Sam stomped after him, still yelling at him. The young man had to wonder how his two friends were never heard by the living with how loud they yelled, even if they were dead. Their voices could rival that of Black Canary's Canary Cry. Danny sighed. "Idiots…"

"HEY!"

Wandering through the halls, Danny finally managed to get the two ghosts to stop yelling at him with the excuse the ghost haunting the Hall of Justice might not come out with their loud voices bouncing around the walls. They easily fell into a conversation regarding the ghost, wondering who it would be and why they were there. Occasionally, the three would run into the dogs or the cats. Time ticked by and no signs showed of the ghost appeared.

"This is getting irritating." Sam commented, glaring at the walls with her arms crossed over her chest heatedly. She was always impatient with ghosts that liked taking their time revealing themselves.

Danny and Tucker glanced at each other, rolling their eyes. Sighing, Tucker said "Come on, Sam. It's only been a half-hour. Remember, we've waited a heck of a lot longer than is. Some of us are patient. Others, however, are not." Tucker gave the girl a pointed look at this.

Danny laughed. "Tucker's right, Sam. There have been considerably longer trips. You just need to learn to be patient."

Sam stuck her tongue out at the boy. Both boys laughed before Danny yelped and fell to the ground. Groaning, the young man looked to where Hissy-Fit was hissing at him with a tense body. Her silver hair stood on edge, making her look bigger than she actually was.

While Sam joined Tucker in laughing, Danny glared at the Oriental cat. "I hate you. I hate you so much."

Hissy-Fit hissed again before trotting off, leaving Danny lying sprawled across the ground. The ebony-haired glared after it, shaking his head. "And to think, I make sure that thing keeps living… It's almost tempting to stop feeding it."

"Ok Hater Boy, stop plotting to kill the cat and get up already. We've got work to do. I'm starting to wonder if there even is a ghost here." Sam commented, watching as Danny hopped up from the ground, rubbing at the sores on his face that Hissy-Fit had oh-so generously given him that morning.

Danny sighed, looking around. "It's definitely a ghost zone; we just don't know where the ghost is."

A "ghost zone" was the term Danny used to describe a place that was being haunted. There weren't as many earthbound spirits as most people thought. There were even less that messed with the living in any way. It was actually considered uncommon for a ghost to want to have anything to do with the living plane.

Danny hummed. "Maybe we should split up and cover more ground. Past experience says not all ghosts like us as a group."

"True." Tucker agreed, nodding. "Alright, I'll get you guys if I find anything."

"Me too." Sam stated, waving. The two were gone before Danny could anything to their agreements before they left. The simple disappearances made the ebony-haired man roll his eyes as he started walking down the hall again, looking at the bare walls without much interest. He was startled when Skittles bolted out from another passage and stopped in front of him.

"Hi Skittles." Danny greeted, bending down and easily picking the American Curl up. He ran his fingers through the cat's soft, white fur. "Wanna ghost hunt with me?"

That earned the young adult a meow. Danny grinned. "Good kitty."

The ebony-haired male wandered around for a little longer, holding the white cat in his arms. Skittles purred some before becoming silent and then purring again. Overall, though, it was quiet between the two. Danny occasionally stared at Skittles to make sure she wasn't staring at anything he didn't see. However, it never happened.

Danny was startled when he heard Firecracker barking at something before he was joined by Lock's deeper growl. Cujo's bark joined the other two's fairly quickly. The young adult found them fairly quickly in one of the 'war-rooms'. He began telling them to quiet down with his baritone voice overpowering their loud barks. They did as they were told and quieted down instantly, glaring at a spot in the middle of the room. Hissy-Fit was lying on top of one of the desks, watching the same spot. Skittles looked curiously at that one spot all the animals were interested in.

The ebony-haired male saw nothing.

Sighing, Danny looked around the room, hoping for the ghost to appear in his sights. It didn't happen that way, like he wanted. Leaning against one of the desks in the room, Danny set his cat on the ground and Skittles sat down by his feet, tail flicking back and forth.

"If there's any ghosts in here, you can come out. All the animals kind of gave you away so…" Danny trailed, smiling good-naturedly. "I'm not sure what you did to get the heroes to figure out a ghost is haunting them but good job on getting their attention."

Though he didn't see anyone per say, a small, childlike laugh rang out. Though startled to hear a child, Danny continued smiling at the air around him. "Hey, would you come out so I can see you? I bet my dogs would be thrilled to meet you. The big brown and white one is Cujo. He's a Saint Bernard. The black one is Firecracker. He's a Belgian sheepdog. Lock is the grey Irish wolfhound. They're all very nice."

Slowly, a form manifested where all the animals had been staring. It was a girl of about eleven or twelve with ebony hair and blue eyes, like Danny's own. She wore a blue sweatshirt with red cargo shorts and red sneakers. A red beanie was shoved over her black hair, keeping her long hair pressed to her neck.

Danny smiled reassuringly. "Hi. I'm Danny. What's your name?"

The dogs trotted over to the girl, who smiled and patted their heads while falling to the ground in a lotus position. After giving a sufficient greeting to the canines surrounding her, she smiled at the twenty-one-year-old and answered "I'm Danielle but most people just call me Dani."

The ebony-haired man smiled wider. "Ha! We almost share the same name. That's hilarious."

Dani nodded in agreement as Cujo collapsed beside the girl, panting happily at her petting. Firecracker and Lock were easy to succumb to boredom and wandered around the room, specifically to terrorize Hissy-Fit (not that Danny secretly minded or anything).

Danny watched for a little while before asking "So Dani, why are you hanging around the Hall of Justice? It'd be easier to go through the ghost portal and make friends, wouldn't it?"

Dani shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know. I never had many friends. It's been kind of hard. I came to the Hall of Justice because… It felt safe."

The young man snorted. "That doesn't surprise me. The Hall of Justice is filled with heroes. They practically radiate safety like a neon beacon in the dead of night. However, it's not a place for a spirit, Dani. There are people waiting for you on the other side of the ghost portal."

"How do you know?" Dani asked curiously. "Have you been on the other side?"

Danny shook his head. "No, I haven't. I know because… Well, I just know. It's one of those things I'm really sure of myself when I say it. You've just got to trust me a little."

Dani looked to the side, contemplating her decision. Absently, she continued to scratch Cujo's head while he panted happily, pink tongue lulling from his mouth. Looking back at him, Dani's eyes searched Danny's. "Are you sure you're sure?"

Danny smiled and laughed, nodding. "Yes, I'm sure." The man's eyes fell to the Saint Bernard's content face. His smile dimmed but his eyes were still happy. "If it'll help any, Cujo will follow you to make sure everything is ok. He's a good boy like that."

Behind him, Danny could hear Hissy-Fit trying to claw Firecracker and Lock as they played with her. They were good boys too.

Dani smiled immediately and looked at the dog's head in her lap. With her beaming smile, she got up and Cujo followed her up immediately, begging for more petting. Just to make sure, the girl asked "Cujo will follow me?"

Danny nodded. "Yup. Just call him and he'll come."

"This is so cool! I've always wanted a dog!" Dani said excitedly, turning towards the portal. "Come Cujo!"

The Saint Bernard followed behind, glancing back at Danny once. The man gestured for Cujo to follow, to which he did. Together, the laughing girl and the yapping dog disappeared within an instant. Firecracker and Lock immediately perked once their fellow canine was gone, ears perked and eyes alert. However, Cujo was gone through the portal.

"Wow…"

Danny looked over his shoulder and saw Sam and Tucker staring at the spot Dani and Cujo had disappeared through. They were completely slack-jawed.

"Cujo went through the portal finally?" Sam asked, still in absolute shock.

Danny smiled. "Yup. It only took, like, what? Three years? Now we've got to work on getting Lock and Firecracker through. Huh, maybe you guys should take them. After all, you two _are_ ghosts."

Tucker frowned and rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to get rid of us."

"Stop telling the other ghosts I drink the blood of infants and we'll see." Danny stated as he picked up Skittles again. The white American curl climbed onto his shoulders when he walked towards Hissy-Fit. The cat hissed in warning but Danny still scooped her up, getting various scratches as he did. Holding the cat tightly to his chest so she couldn't tear him to pieces, Danny hurriedly rushed past his two ghost friends, saying "Come on. Let's get Hissy in her cage before she rips me to shreds."

Sam and Tucker rolled their eyes before following after their friend as he tried to hold his stupid cat tightly as she squirmed. Skittles watched with unblinking eyes from his shoulders with a flicking tail. As Danny got back to the main room where Superman, Batman, and a few other heroes were watching with bewilderment, Danny struggled further to keep Hissy-Fit in his arms. The Dark Knight was kind enough to open the cage as he neared so Danny could throw the cat in, making his friends snort in amusement. Danny suffered a few more scratches and bites while keeping Hissy in the cage while letting Skittles in after her. Then the young man practically slammed the cage door shut.

"I really hate that cat!" Danny yelled, gesturing wildly to where Hissy was hissing at him demonically. He glared and sucked on a new cut on his thumb.

Batman crossed his arms over his chest, not amused. "I couldn't tell."

Danny scowled before standing up, ignoring how Hissy-Fit was trying to claw his shoe while Skittles watched calmly beside the Oriental cat.

"Did you get the ghost out?" Superman asked.

Danny nodded. "Yup. The ghost was a girl named Danielle. She's over wherever ghosts go after going through the ghost portal and your place can be taken off as a ghost zone, not that you know what that means. Kids are so easy to cross over. Now, when do I get paid, as this how I make my living?"

Batman rolled his eyes and assured the medium it was already taken care of. Danny beamed happily before thanking the Dark Knight, grabbing the cat carrier, and saying his goodbyes. Waltzing out the door, he ignored the rest of the heroes' looks and blocked out his friends' teasing. Lock and Firecracker followed behind them obediently.

After loading the cats back into his truck, Danny happily hopped into the driver's seat. He was impatient to get back to his apartment in Amity and maybe see his sister and parents. Sam and Tucker shared his want to get home, tired of all the driving around, especially when they could just teleport whenever they wanted to.

In the back, Lock and Firecracker laid beside the cat's individual carriers while the cats themselves lounged in their shared crate. Tucker sat beside the cage, half-lounging on it as he talked with his friends in the front as they pulled out.

"It's weird without Cujo." Sam commented.

Danny shrugged. "It is a little but I'm happy he moved on with a girl that will take care of him in the next life."

"You would think that way." Tucker stated.

Danny smiled. "Always."

* * *

 **Things to know about this AU (another AU, really?): Danny is human. This is inspired from watching too much 'A Haunting' and 'Ghost Whisperer' episodes. Medium-ship is considered a common meta power in this universe. I've adapted a lot of DP terms to fit this. Yes, it is that easy to get a ghost into a ghost portal. *thumbs up***

 **Moving on, hope you all enjoyed! Tomorrow I shall be posting the last installment of this fic with the Teen Titans. Gotta love that. :)**


	2. We Also Need Help

Ch.2: We Also Need Help

Danny took a sip from his coffee mug before replacing it on the table in front of him, tiredly staring at the laptop screen sitting across from him. He was wearing nothing but an old t-shirt with a tacky ghost on the front and grey sweat-pants. His eyelids were drooping over his blue eyes as he scrolled through his email, absentmindedly listening to the drone of the TV in the background. Every time he clicked on one of the messages, a small _click_ emitted from his mouse before there was a _vr-r-r_ as he scrolled down.

Skittles walked around the man's chair before hopping up onto the table, sitting beside his laptop and rubbing her face and body against the side of the screen, purring. Danny reached out and patted her head, getting a satisfied meow in return for his efforts. The ebony-haired male cracked a tired smile at the cat before turning back to his screen. He leaned back in his seat and began typing a response to a client, frowning in boredom at the screen in front of him.

Behind him, Danny could hear the TV channels being changed as different voices, music, and sounds flooded from the stereos. It went quiet for a moment before the noise came back. He glared at the screen in front of him before looking over his shoulder at the occupants in the living room.

Sam and Tucker were sharing one of the couches, watching the TV play NCIS with much interest. They were practically on the edge of their seats. Lock and Firecracker were lying on the second couch, watching the TV flash random pictures in boredom. Lock even had his eyes closed, as if he were dozing. Hissy-Fit was sitting on the back of the couch Sam and Tucker were on, preferring to stay away from the insolent dogs she absolutely despised.

"Guys." Danny called, barely earning the attention of his friends as they continued watching their cop show. "Stop upgrading to channels I can't afford. Just go to On Demand or something. It's not your money to waste."

"OOO, someone's PMSing…" Tucker mumbled to Sam, who snorted with a smile. At the table, Danny was not amused in the least with the simple statement.

"We already watched all those episodes." Sam said, waving her friend off. "Besides, it's only Cloo. You already had it. We were thinking about upgrading to Chiller but didn't because we respect you. Is it so hard to believe we won't go against your wishes for once?"

"Yes." Danny answered without a second thought.

"…oh, wow." Tucker commented.

The living twenty-one-year-old rolled his blue eyes before turning back to his laptop. As he did, he gingerly picked Skittles up and hugged her, petting her head slowly. The white cat purred contently. Danny sighed. "Oh Skittles, you, Lock, and Firecracker are the only ones I don't have to put up. Thank you for keeping me sane all these years."

"Danny, you're talking to a cat named _Skittles_ as if she'll answer." Sam stated, wildly gesturing to the position Danny was in, ignoring the fact his back was to her.

"And you talk to people no one else can see. That's not exactly sane." Tucker continued, pressing his lips in a firm line as he watched his friend slowly pet his cat as if she were his best friend in the entire universe.

Lock and Firecracker glanced at each other but, otherwise, didn't move.

Danny sighed, staring into the distance as he continued to hug his good kitty to his chest gently. "I would tell you two to shut up but I have found that doesn't ever work. If it did, I wouldn't feel the intense need to tie you both up and leave you in a building to burn."

"Oh and he's got violent tendencies. How could we ever forget that?" Sam asked her cocoa-skinned friend sarcastically. Quietly, she leaned over and whispered "But it's a good thing we don't have physical bodies if he ever did go on a psychotic break. I feel sorry for the poor suckers who would have to face that scrambled mess of a brain."

Tucker nodded in agreement with his ebony-haired, female friend.

"Heard that!" Danny called, setting Skittles back on the table beside his computer. The white cat meowed before jumping down and trotting over to the couch. After leaping in-between Sam and Tucker on the couch, she made herself comfortable between them, licking her paws as she sat between the two ghosts. Hissy-Fit watched her from above but otherwise didn't seem to care about the other cat.

Danny took another sip from his coffee mug and noticed he was getting low on his caffeine. Sighing, he got up as he muttered "I need some chocolate to go with this."

The young adult got another cup of coffee before drowning it in chocolate, hoping to get on a caffeine fix. Gulping down half of it on his way to the table, Danny fell back in his seat and squinted at the computer. His Skype had a new request. Opening up a new window, the male gained a confused look at the person asking for him to become a contact with a simple message: I need to talk to you.

"Yeah, well find the right person… Robin?" Danny said, looking at the screen with an exasperated expression before shaking his head and declining the request. "Hope you find who you're looking for, Robin, because it certainly ain't me. If it was, I would be concerned…"

"Danny, stop talking to yourself." Sam called, making Danny roll his eyes and scowl at his computer screen.

Just as the man was going back to scrolling through his emails, another message from Robin appeared, saying the same thing as the one before. Danny declined it again before trying to going back to working on his inbox. However, Robin was convinced Danny was the person he was looking for and continued to send message after message, saying they needed to talk. Danny declined it every single time, hoping this Robin person would get the hint.

They did not.

Danny, out of frustration, finally accepted the request and quickly wrote his message of 'leave me alone' before deleting the contact as fast as he could. Just as he calming, slinking in his seat relaxed, and restarting his work on his inbox, he received, yet another, message from Robin.

"Oh for the love of-!" Danny screamed, getting the attention of Sam, Tucker, Lock, Firecracker, Skittles, and Hissy-Fit. He hit accept again and video-called the horrible person at the end of the line. It only took seconds for Robin to accept. Danny immediately went wide-eyed before slapping his hands over his face. "Holy CRAP! Of course…"

"Dude, calm yourself!" Tucker yelled at the ebony-haired male before turning back to his TV show.

Robin, _Batman's former sidekick_ , raised an eyebrow at the way Danny had greeted him. His arms were crossed over his brightly colored chest and he was standing in a large, empty room. Getting right down to business, he asked "Are you Danny Fenton?"

The medium dropped his hands and glared accusingly at the significantly younger male on the screen. "You couldn't have specified who you were before you irritated me to death? Because I was beginning to think you were a creepy stalker or a reality TV prank show trying to call me. All I wanted to do today was my email."

Sam leaned over to Tucker and whispered "It's definitely his time of the month…"

"I heard that!" Danny yelled over his shoulder before turning back to face the young hero. Sighing, he rubbed his head to ease the migraine that was slowly being forced upon him by beings he couldn't get rid of ever.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? You heard what?"

"If what I say doesn't make sense or pertain to what we're talking about, assume I'm not talking to you. Now, what is it that we need to desperately talk about?" Danny questioned irritably. He drummed his fingers against the counter in front of him for extra measure. The light circles under his eyes were slowly becoming darker from dealing with people and ghosts.

Robin sighed in his own irritated way. "Are you a medium?"

"Yup. Why do you care? Did Batman send you to investigate me or something?" Danny asked, not putting it past the Dark Knight to look into him. He had acted a little more erratically on that job, which could easily result in the Caped Crusader believing he was a little nutty in the head. The idea wasn't too farfetched. He had named his cat Skittles.

Uncomfortably, Robin shifted without saying anything. A large smirk slowly crept up on Danny's face and he looked oddly like the Grinch plotting to destroy Christmas. "Does Robby have a ghostly problem on his hands that he doesn't know how to handle on his own~?"

The former sidekick glared at the older male.

Danny smiled his Grinch grin a little wider and he bobbed his head a little in victory. "That would be a yes~!"

"Please act your age." Robin seethed between clenched teeth.

Danny leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the view of the tacky ghost on the front of it. He gave Robin a pointed look. "You're the one who called me before noon. The way I act is your fault. Not mine." To make his point, he took another gulp of coffee from his mug.

Robin sighed irritably. "Since you deal with ghosts, would you mind coming over here and helping with our problem? Batman-" Danny noticed the name was said with obvious disdain. "-says you did a good job with the Hall of Justice and got done quickly enough."

"First… Are you _sure_ it's a ghost? I don't want to come over to your base and find out your contractor does crap at his job. I don't like wasting my time. It's limited." Danny stated, earning a snort from his two friends behind him. He suppressed an eye-roll at them. It would look a little odd to Robin.

"I don't like seeing the TV on and changing channels on its own when I get back from a battle." Robin stated.

Danny snorted. "Yup. That's a typical ghost for ya. Alright, I'll be over as soon as I can. Send me your address and I'll start packing. Although, I do have one question I need to ask before I come over."

"And it is…?"

"Are you or anyone living with you allergic to cats?" Danny asked, looking at the brightly colored hero expectantly with a completely straight face.

Robin raised an eyebrow in questioning. "No…"

"Does anyone have a phobia of cats?" Danny asked, completely straight look still on his face.

"No…"

"Well I would develop one before I get over there because one of my cats will literally attempt to rip your face off. Nice meeting you and I'll see you soon." Danny said and, before Robin could interject, the ebony-haired man cut the connection. The address was sent to him over the chat boxes and Danny groaned when he realized this was going to be a long trip. Driving to California from Illinois was not going to be fun.

Getting up from his chair, Danny sighed and walked towards his bedroom door. "Hey guys, can you look for my hockey helmet while I'm in the shower? I'm going to need it if I'm stuffing Hissy-Fit in another cage."

Sam and Tucker saluted while the cat in question hissed at Danny. The medium pointed at the little demon and said "I hate you too! Why can't you be more like Skittles?"

 _A Few Long-g-g-g Days Later…_

Danny, Sam, and Tucker stood halfway to the Teen Titan's door, staring at the large T-shaped building with completely blank faces. The cat carrier was held loosely in the ebony-haired male's hands. The two dogs were waiting impatiently by the door, waiting for the three humans to hurry up and join them. They were both ready to bolt in without permission.

"How does this building not collapse?" Danny asked, shaking his head at the large structure. Though the feat was amazing, it could also be very disastrous if it ever collapsed. It was a good thing the massive building was on an island where only minimal casualties could be made.

Tucker tore his gaze from the gigantic T and turned his head towards his two friends. "Alright, should we go knock on the door before the dogs explode or what? I know I'm dying to see the inside of this place."

"That pun was so bad." Danny stated, glancing at his friend before walking towards the door. Sam snickered under her breath while she followed her friend up, leaving Tucker to stand there confused.

"What did I say?!" Tucker called after them before it dawned on him. "Oh… That pun was totally unintentional!"

"Sure it was." Danny called back, stopping between the two dogs and releasing the pet carrier with one hand to knock on the door. Tucker trudged up beside him while Sam continued to snicker quietly. Tucker stuck his tongue at her but only got a smack in return. Firecracker barked at them excitedly, wagging his fluffy black tail around. Danny shushed him just as the door opened, revealing Robin. He was already glaring. Danny raised an eyebrow. "Unless I offended you in some way, you should not be glaring at me."

"It took you three days. It should have taken two in the very least." Robin seethed.

Danny snorted and rolled his eyes. Kids were so impatient these days…and disrespectful. "Look, I have to obey traffic laws and do the basic needs to survive. Add all this to the simple fact I have idiots talking in my ear all the time and three days is pretty good frikkin timing."

Robin narrowed his eyes at the older male in confusion and he bluntly stated "But you're alone."

Danny laughed sarcastically, making his two friends roll their eyes. The laughter fell away and Danny sighed. "Yeah, I'm never alone. I wish but no, no I'm not."

"Uh…" Robin drawled. "Ok then..?"

"You want me to do my job or what?" Danny asked expectantly. Robin reluctantly nodded and let him in. The dogs made it into the structure before Danny did, making the young adult roll his eyes. Sam and Tucker laughed under their breaths, following after and ignoring how the door was shut on them. They just walked through it. The small group was led upstairs and Danny found it hilarious how Robin was unaware of the large group in the elevator. It took a lot of strength not to snicker.

As the doors opened, Robin, Danny, and the ghosts were allowed into a large common room. Around the room were four other figures doing their own thing. Danny recognized all of them, though he was unfamiliar with their powers. He was usually too busy to get anything more on heroes than what they look like and their names.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were battling against each other on a video-game. They were yelling at each other, the screen, and at themselves. Raven was sitting at the end of the couch, reading a book and completely blocking out the ruckus the boys were making. In the kitchen, Starfire was making something that looked more like vomit than something someone would want to eat.

Robin called his team to attention. Everyone stared at the lone figure carrying the pet carrier with bandaged hands that was significantly older than all of them. Danny stood a foot and a half taller than the Teen Titan's leader, watching them all with blue eyes. The only adult in the room pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Hi."

"Hey, is this that psychic guy you were telling us about, Robin?" Beast Boy asked curiously, ears perked as he stared at the young adult with interest. His eyes fell to the pet carrier before going back up to Danny's face and staying there.

"Yes." Robin answered simply.

Starfire flew over within seconds and had Danny in a bear-hug, smiling brightly while the adult lost all the air in his lungs. "Hello new friend!"

"Dying..!" Danny gasped.

Sam and Tucker watched with wide eyes. The ebony-haired girl commented "Well... I didn't see this coming. He wasn't kidding when he said his time was limited."

"Starfire, you're killing him." Cyborg called, watching with a grimace.

Robin chuckled nervously. "Come on, Star. Put the poor man down now…"

Starfire continued smiling and dropped Danny, watching obliviously as he gasped for breath. "What is your name, friend?"

"It's Danny and it's medium, not psychic." Danny corrected, breathing heavily as he turned his head towards Beast Boy. "I can't predict the weather based on what my visions of the future are because I don't have them. I just see ghosts. That's all."

"Cool~." Beast Boy drawled, looking excited at the thought.

Raven looked at the adult with suspicious violet eyes. "Did you bring more ghosts into the Tower?"

Danny couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face. He wasn't too surprised the younger girl could sense a ghost's energies. "I did. Two dogs, two humans. The dogs are Lock and Firecracker and my two friends are Sam and Tucker. They help with my job by drawing out ghosts faster than me asking empty air over and over again. I bet you know different ghosts can be very territorial."

The cloaked girl hesitantly nodded her head while the others suddenly looked uneasy. Danny's smirk widened a tiny bit at their nervousness. "Oh, calm down. They won't try anything. The most they do is upgrade to channels I can't afford."

"We don't do that!" Sam said, stomping her foot childishly.

Danny turned his smiling face to his friend after setting the pet carrier on the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest and said "That is a frikkin lie and you know it."

"Just a little." Tucker commented, earning himself another smack from Sam. He cried out in pain before whining indignantly. It didn't take much for a fight to erupt between them, making Danny roll his eyes and turn back to the confused teenagers.

Shrugging, Danny said "I was talking to Sam and Tucker. Now, Firecracker, Lock, go scout." Eagerly, the two dogs raced off to explore. Danny bent down to open the pet carrier door. "Now everyone, be careful. The silver cat will bite, scratch, draw blood, tie you up, and cut your throat. I have named her Hissy-Fit for obvious reasons. The other one is Skittles. This one will literally love you to death if you're not careful."

Before anyone could object, Danny had opened the door. Hissy-Fit bolted out from the cage, hissing at Danny before following up with the Titans. Then she stalked off, walking along the walls and down one of the halls. The five teenagers watched uneasily, hoping not to cross paths with Hissy-Fit in a dark alley.

"That is terrifying." Cyborg commented.

Starfire tilted her head after the silver beast and asked "Why is Hissy-Fit so unkind to everyone?"

"Cause she's a demon from hell." Danny stated, all seriousness in his voice. Sam and Tucker were nodding beside him, agreeing wholeheartedly with the boy. They had been there every time the cat had gone on a rampage.

"Even I can agree with that." Raven stated, totally straight faced.

Skittles walked out of the cage with light feet and acted much calmer than her predecessor. She glanced at everyone once before trotting off, tail high in the air like a white flag. She disappeared in one of the off-shoot hallways without a second thought, barely making a sound.

"And that was the little angel who licks me to death at six in the morning." Danny said, gesturing after the white cat.

Starfire was beaming. "She was so adorable!"

"Yeah…" Danny drawled, getting snorts from his friends. He suppressed another one of his many eye-rolls. "Alright, if you all need me, I'll be wandering the halls, looking for your ghost. If I'm not seen for a day or two, please come find me. I don't want to die of starvation." With that, the boy entered the elevator again and pressed a random level. He waved as the doors shut, not noticing how the heroes shook their heads after him.

As the three beings in the elevator started their descent, Tucker asked "So, have you been able to sense anything with the ghostie running around?"

Danny nodded. "Yes but remember, my ghost sense isn't the best out there. I usually have to be near the ghost to get a good read on them. What I have been able to pick up is eerily similar to Dani's aura. It's very… Young and childlike. However, this ghost is a lot more active than Dani was. I'm almost reminded of a troublemaker or a prankster."

"Wonderful." Sam drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the concept. If he could, Danny would've bumped her with his elbow. However, she was not a physical being and he would've gone straight through her.

Tucker looked at the panel of buttons in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the brightly lit one, telling them what level they were currently descending towards. "Hey Danny, why are we going all the way to the garage? Didn't we _just_ come from that direction?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I thought we'd start on the lower levels and work our way up. If we're lucky, we'll find the ghost during our first round about. If not, we're going to be experts of this stupid building by the end of the day."

The two ghosts groaned just as the elevator door opened. The three stepped out and froze. Their mouths hung loosely from their jaws, ready to fall off in any amount of time. Their eyes easily became focused on the show going on in front of them, all three of them in different stages of disbelief.

A child younger than Dani, about eight or nine, was dancing around as he played around with the high-tech white and blue car that was no doubt Cyborg's baby. He was dressed up as a pirate, complete with a hook hand and peg leg. The costume was mostly red with purple accents. The younger boy's blonde hair stuck out from the hat, ruffled and messy, and a toy parrot was sitting on his shoulder.

What the heck the youngster was doing to the car was really obvious. All he seemed to be doing was taking it apart and separating the pieces even further (which would, no doubt, crush Cyborg's heart and soul into millions of pieces later when Danny would have to tell him). What a small ghost kid wanted with car parts was a complete mystery. He looked around the age you started learning what a cell was.

"What the heck is going on in here?!" Danny questioned before he realized what he was saying. In the back of his mind, he knew that was not the greatest way to begin a conversation with a ghost as young as this boy was.

The blonde boy immediately turned his head towards Danny's voice and blanched at the sight of the three adults. He dropped the car part he had been holding and started muttering a long "Uh-h-h…"

"Kid, why are you taking this car apart?" Danny asked, placing one hand on his hip while the other rubbed his face. Sam was still watching the scene slack-jawed, shaking her head slowly at the small boy in astonishment. Tucker looked like he was about to start crying for not having a chance to bond with such a beautiful car or, in the very least, not having a chance to fan-boy all over it.

The short pirate boy looked at Danny in surprise. "You can see me?"

Danny was not surprised at the question, though he did remember Dani hadn't asked him the same question. She must have been an older ghost, despite her outer age. They could tell the difference ghosts, mediums, and other humans and, therefore, had no reason to ask such useless questions. The blonde boy was probably still young enough to be considered a new ghost if he couldn't tell the difference on his own and was connected to the physical world enough to be able to take a car apart.

Nodding, the young adult answered "Yeah, I can see you. My friends Sam and Tucker can see you too because they're also ghosts. Can you tell me your name before we get into the subject of why you're dismantling a car that is obviously not yours?"

"Uh…" The young boy muttered again, looking between the half-mantled car and the ebony-haired medium. "My name's Caleb but I want to be called by my pirate name."

"Which is, you car destroyer?" Tucker asked, still looking at the car in complete and utter despair. Sam face-palmed, kept her hand pressed to her face, and shook her head into it, muttering unladylike things into the palm of her hand.

"It's Youngblood!" The blonde boy answered, beaming with pride.

It wasn't uncommon for a ghost to want to take a new name. Most did. The two ghosts and medium had stumbled across a ghost one time that called themselves Skulker and, yet another, that called themselves Technus. Each ghost had a different reason for being renamed from something as simple as they felt like it to cutting ties with the living entirely before they moved through the ghost portal.

"That's wonderful." Danny stated, smiling. "Really. I just have one question…"

Youngblood looked at the young adult expectantly, still beaming with pride at his pirate name.

"Why on God's green earth are you dismantling a _car_?" Danny asked, gesturing to the half-destroyed vehicle with one hand while the other stayed planted on his hip.

The blonde boy smiled even brighter at the question. "Easy. I'm taking it apart so I can put it back together like Legos or a puzzle! I've just got to take the rest of it apart and then I'll put it all back together again! Don't worry. I've got it all covered."

Danny clapped sarcastically. Tucker looked absolutely murderous. "You monster! How dare you compare a fine piece of machinery to a child's plaything?"

"Ok Freak, stop hating on the kid. Legos are awesome and we used to do puzzles all the time. Let's go." Sam said, pushing Tucker towards the wall to have a chat with him in the next room over. "We don't insult children's logic and don't tell me you didn't play with Legos either, you frikkin idiot!" Sam continued pestering Tucker, cutting off whatever he had to say as she pushed him into the next room over.

Youngblood watched the ghosts interact with a confused expression while Danny bowed his head in irritation. Turning to the blonde pirate boy, the medium said "Ignore them, especially Tucker. He just loves cars and this was like blasphemy to him."

"It was like what?" Youngblood asked, confused.

Danny almost face-palmed for being an idiot. "Ok, never mind what I just said. It's hard to explain and I don't feel like explaining it. What I want to talk to you about is going through the ghost portal. You don't need to stay here where most people can't see you, getting your amusement from taking a car apart."

Youngblood tilted his head at the older medium. "But why? I like it here."

Danny smiled in assurance. "That may be but it's better for you over in the ghost portal. … I know a girl who went over there recently. Her name is Dani. She doesn't have a lot of friends and I have a feeling you two would get along great."

The blonde boy perked at the suggestion of a friend. "Really? Is she nice?"

Danny nodded, though he hadn't interacted with the ebony-haired girl long. She had been very kind to Cujo though. "Yeah, she's wonderful. She also has a dog now named Cujo. He's really big and licks your face constantly."

Youngblood perked immeasurably at the prospect of a possible friend _and_ a dog. Danny didn't quite understand the appeal of pets since Hissy-Fit had ruined the entire experience with cats. Skittles and Hissy-Fit were probably going to be the only cats he ever owned, if his job didn't get too hard without an animal to better detect ghosts.

The blonde boy looked towards the far wall, where Danny assumed a ghost portal was. Hesitantly, Youngblood looked back at the older medium and nervously asked "Are you _sure_? This isn't just some trick?"

Danny nodded, still smiling in an assuring way. "I'm positive. I bet Dani and Cujo are waiting for you right now."

Youngblood brightened and smiled. "Really?"

"Yup." Danny answered.

The smile didn't leave the young blonde's face. He nodded and said "Ok." Hesitantly walking forward, the boy disappeared like a mirage and left Danny all alone in the garage. Danny smiled to himself before turning on his heel, heading towards the elevator to go back up to the Titans' media room. "Come on, guys! Youngblood is all taken care of!"

"I still can't believe he took the beautiful car apart." Tucker complained as he came back through the wall with Sam rolling her eyes by his side. The ebony-haired girl told her cocoa-skinned friend to shut up and stop whining like a child. This only made Tucker whine more. This caused Danny to yell at both ghosts, groaning at how immature they both were being. Danny was painfully reminded of his deep rivalry with Hissy-Fit and one of the talks he had with Skittles about how perfect she was. The fight continued on throughout the entire elevator ride. They all shut up when the elevator door opened, earning the attention of all the Titans.

Starfire zoomed up to the adult first when he stepped out, excitedly asking "Have you seen the one haunting our home, Friend Danny?"

The medium smiled and nodded. "Yup. The ghost was a child who likes to call himself Youngblood. I don't know how he died and I don't care. All I know is he went into the ghost portal and he's happier. Now, since this is how I make my living, how am I getting paid?"

"Already taken of." Robin stated without a second thought. Danny rolled his eyes and figured the Dark Knight's sidekick would have it taken care of before he asked.

"Wonderful." Danny said, clapping his hands together. "Now, does anyone have a hockey helmet I can borrow? I left mine in my car on land and I need to get Hissy-Fit into the cage with minimal injuries. Protection would be appreciated."

"What about Skittles?" Beast Boy asked expectantly, looking at the carrier with a small tinge of disdain.

"Oh, she's easy." Danny said, waving the 'easy child' off without a worry in his head.

"I think I'll get Hissy-Fit. It'd be much easier." Raven suggested. Her hands became encased with black in a show of what her powers could do. Danny thanked her immeasurably as she went off to find the demonic cat from hell. Starfire wanted to find Skittles and flew off, coming back within a few minutes with the white cat in her arms. Danny put her in just as Raven, with a very unhappy silver beast in a black orb, came back and forced the cat into the cage with Skittles. Danny shut the door quickly, earning himself another scratch in the process.

Just as Danny was getting in the elevator and the doors were beginning to close, Tucker painfully reminded his friend of something. Chuckling nervously, Danny stopped the doors for a second and called "Oh and Cyborg?"

"Yeah?" The dark-skinned teenager called, raising an eyebrow.

Danny let the doors start sliding closed again. "Yeah, Youngblood dismantled half of your car earlier."

The doors closed fully but they did not block out the anguished cry of "HE DID _WHAT?!_ "

* * *

 **And I am happily done with this AU (for now). I might do a one-shot showing him dealing with his powers in high-school or something but we'll see. I have to be bored to do it. *thumbs up***

 **Thanks to these people for favoriting/following:** ** _Heather1117, Eirena Gaia, Reading for escape, Roselin, Hitomi-tama, Ace115, Purple-Vixen-Flames, Kimori Takahashi, KainVixenheim, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, Kimera20, Pegasus Sword Master, Azorawing, Female Dragon, Jessica Jayme Bell, Chicaalterego, Toffee Fox, Poohbearmorris, Oblitus Angeli, Saramaster, Astroshadow, Down with Chrysalis, Blackkyu, MidnightMemory2939, Demonianism._**

 **Thanks to these people for favoriting/following me: _Whitewolf7206._**

 **Reviews:**

 **Eirena Gaia: Aw, thanks! It's a great show. I love it. :) Hehe, yeah, Flash was there, briefly. And yes, they are ghosts and it makes Danny look a little nuts.**

 **BringbackDannyPhantom: :D Glad to hear!**

 **KainVixenheim: You know, you really shouldn't be reading in the middle of the night.**

 **Pegasus Sword Master: And that's why he was so shocked. XD**

 **Jessica Jayme Bell: XD Aw, thank you.**

 **Chicalterego: Yeah, that cat is definitely from hell and is the embodiment of most of the cats I've ever met. XD**

 **Poohbearmorris: They're great shows. I'm too entranced to be scared. Nope, they ain't coming back. :)**

 **Blackkyu: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. High-School

Ch.3: High School

Danny stared at the looming building ahead with a look of disdain as he pressed his face against the window of his sister's car. His lips were set in a firm frown, shoulders slumped in unhappiness. His ebony hair was a mess and the dark circles under his eyes told of all the worries that kept him up the night before. His hands were grasping his backpack loosely, half-accepting the item but half-rejecting it as well.

Jazz rolled her eyes at the display her younger brother was making. It was one, in its own way, of the many pouts he had given her that morning. "Come on, Danny. You can't be late for your first day of school. Now get out of the car and go make the best of the day!"

"Easy for you to say." Danny retorted, straightening from the slouch he had put himself in against the car door. "You _like_ your school and you have friends. I don't! I talk to my watermelon slice at lunch before I eat it. It's really sad."

Jazz rolled her eyes and clamped her brother on the shoulder. "You need to stop being such an angsty teenager."

"You'd be angsty too if people liked to stuff you in lockers. It's a good thing I don't have claustrophobia." Danny stated, using his backpack as a pillow as he leaned forward and rested his head on the bag full of books.

The red-head looked at Danny in shock. "You told they stopped bullying you!"

"I lied."

"Why?!"

"Because you babying me was not helping my already fragile street cred. Ah, who am I kidding? I don't have street cred." Danny moaned in a typical fifteen-year-old fashion that said he didn't want to do something and was trying very hard to get out of it.

Jazz felt the intense desire to smack the boy. "Danny, you need to tell an adult when that happens!"

"Because teenagers, especially bullies, listen to adults _so often_ …" Danny drawled, turning his head to the side to give a glare to his sister. He only received one from the older girl in return. They stayed like that for some time before the warning bell sounded.

Jazz sighed and gestured for her brother to get going. "You've got to go, Danny. I'll pick you up after school."

The fifteen-year-old sighed before opening his car door and stepping out. He closed it before Jazz could say anything, shrugging his backpack over his shoulder. Sighing, he walked towards the large building, frowning in contempt. He slipped in with the other students running a little bit late but took his time getting to class. He was too scared to see who was in his homeroom to have any care over getting to class late or not.

Much to his relief, his homeroom class consisted of people he didn't know well or they were acquaintances. No one that desired his head in a toilet was in his first class. However, since he was late, he was called out by the homeroom teacher and had to sit in the only empty seat in the front. Danny fell into it uneasily, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. He tried to make himself as little as possible but he felt it didn't quite work to the extent he wanted.

The ebony-haired boy's luck wasn't so hot in his next few classes though. There was always, at least, one person who didn't like him for one reason or another or they were one of the jocks that enjoyed bullying 'the nerds.' The term applied to anyone the jocks liked to torment, even if their grades weren't so stellar and their knowledge on all things _Star Wars_ wasn't so all-knowing.

In-between classes, Danny managed to dodge all the bullies. He wasn't quite sure how he had accomplished the small feat but it made him feel good nonetheless. However, the tormenters were not so thrilled with Danny's small stroke of good luck and were pretty much swearing on their grandmother's graves that they were going to get him, one way or another. The fifteen-year-old could only sigh.

Like most of the days of his life, Danny ate lunch alone with his headphones stuck in his ears and the volume turned up so loud others could sing along if they wanted. He ate slowly, enjoying the peace he was given during the small span of time that was deemed 'neutral' between all social classes.

After lunch, it was a race to get to the next class before anyone could stuff him in a locker. Danny had to hide in a janitor's closet to escape and groaned when the last bell went off, alerting him that he was late for class again. Trudging towards the classroom, he merely sighed and figured this would be typical for the rest of his school life.

Halfway there, he was surprised to hear two voices arguing over each other. Raising an eyebrow, Danny followed the quips and retorts being passed between the two people fighting. He found them in a couple hallways over, standing in the middle of the long stretch. One person was a girl with short, black hair and violet eyes. The other was a cocoa-skinned boy with turquoise eyes and wearing a beret. The raven-haired boy didn't recognize either of them.

"Hey!" Danny called, earning their attention in an instant. Both had wide eyes and were frozen, mid-fight. Danny gestured to the hallway he had just come from. "We're supposed to be in class right now, not yelling in the middle of the hallway."

The two glanced at each other before straightening, obviously interested in something Danny wasn't catching on to. The girl smiled. "Yeah, we really should be. Sorry about that. We fight a lot. Um… What's your name? I'm Sam and this is Tucker."

"I'm Danny." The teen answered bluntly, shrugging his bag better on his shoulder so it wouldn't hurt as much. "Are you guys new to the school? I haven't seen you around before."

Tucker nodded vigorously. "Yup. We're definitely new. Definitely. As in, we're _totally_ new."

The cocoa-skinned boy yelped when he was elbowed in the side by Sam, who was glaring at him. Tucker chuckled nervously in response before trying to hide his face from her, getting an eye-roll in return.

Danny looked between the two in confusion. It was obvious with the way they were nervous that they were trying to hide something. Danny wasn't sure what and didn't think he wanted to know. It wasn't his business anyways. Why those two were acting strange could be dealt between the two of them. The ebony-haired boy didn't want to get in the middle of it.

"We should probably get to class now." Danny suggested, earning nods from the other two. The raven-haired boy opened his mouth to ask them if they needed help getting to class, since they were new, but he was cut off when another person called "Mr. Fenton!"

Danny quickly turned on his heel, paling when he saw the vice principal, Mr. Lancer, glaring at him. The balding man did not look happy. "Mr. Fenton, you're supposed to be in class! What are you doing standing in the middle of the hallway?"

The raven-haired boy stuttered erratically. "Sorry, Mr. Lancer, I was just asking if Sam and Tucker needed help getting to their classes."

"There is no one here but you." Mr. Lancer stated seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. He had an air of 'no funny business' around him and didn't seem thrilled by the younger's statement.

Danny whipped his head around to stare at Sam and Tucker in shock with his mouth hanging from its socket loosely. The girl had her hands over her face, hiding it, while the boy had turned to the side, not meeting his eye. The ebony-haired boy resisted a whine and muttered an "Aw crap…" Turning to look back at the vice principal, he asked "You're not going to believe me when I say there really is someone standing there, right?"

Lancer nodded before gesturing for Danny to follow him. The fifteen-year-old sighed and slumped after the vice principal, looking back over his shoulder as he walked away. Sam was mouthing 'sorry' at him and Danny could only sigh again, feeling stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

* * *

Danny sat slumped on the steps leading up to his front door while watching the cars drive by his house. His blue eyes were bored and he looked to be the complete embodiment of teenage angstiness with the posture he had taken. If they hadn't known better, every last passerby would've thought the boy had a storm cloud hanging above his head.

The talk he had with Lancer couldn't have gone any worse. He had to talk to the school counselor three times a week now to deal with his issues. Danny had tried to explain that he didn't have issues, just some sort of freaky power that let him see the dead but that was apparently not the words Lancer wanted to hear. After, he was sent home early and his parents were not happy to find out what Lancer had to say about the reason why.

Danny looked up when two pairs of shoes got in his way. Sam and Tucker were standing nervously above him and the boy raised an eyebrow at them. Tucker chuckled nervously before saying "We're sorry?"

"Though I would have preferred you blatantly telling me you were ghosts so I wouldn't have gotten in trouble, I'm not mad. I'd be surprised to see someone could see me too." Danny stated, shrugging. This seemed to ease the two's tenseness and they fell down beside the ebony-haired boy, sitting on either side of him.

"We really are sorry." Sam said, giving the boy a guilty look. Tucker still wouldn't completely look Danny in the eye.

The fifteen-year-old shrugged. "I don't mind. I just kinda wish the teachers would believe me. There have been other ghosts that they've caught me talking to and I can't make any friends because of it. Everyone thinks I'm nuts."

"Trust us. You're not nuts." Tucker assured, laughing a little beside the bummed out human.

Danny snorted, giving the boy beside him a small glare. "I'm going to take that with a grain of salt because _no one else can see you_."

"There are other mediums out there." Sam assured, getting a nod from her other guy friend. "There's just not that many that can see us like you can. Most can only sense and guess who we are and what the heck they're saying. Ninety percent of the time they're wrong."

Danny laughed. Tucker and Sam smiled.

"I know. I've seen some of those shows. They'll be like 'What's your name?' and a door creaks and they go, completely confident 'So your name is William.'" Danny said, looking between the two at his sides. They were laughing now and nodding in agreement. The three easily continued the conversation regarding ghost hunting shows, mocking them and their ways.

"How come I don't have my own TV show? I can see you guys." Danny said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Tucker hummed and said "You ain't pretty enough."

The three of them fell into hysterical laughter again, holding their stomachs because they hurt. Tears fell from their eyes and they didn't notice Danny's family watching him worriedly from the window. They were too enveloped in listing reasons why Danny didn't have his own ghost TV show.

* * *

 **Surprise, surprise! I was bored and there you go. High-school Danny unhappily dealing with his problems but getting friends, nonetheless. Yeah for teenage angstiness! :D**


	4. Ghost Asylum

**WARNING: HORROR THEMED CHAPTER AHEAD. READ AT OWN RISK.**

* * *

Ch.4: Ghost Asylum

Danny parked his car a good distance from the abandoned insane asylum, looking up at it with wide, blue eyes. He released a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he pulled in, half-expecting something to jump out and scare him the minute he had entered through the gate. The large, towering entrance had been open but, even if it had been closed, he could've simply driven around it, since there was no fence to back it up. It was one of the worst designs Danny had ever seen.

Sam and Tucker shivered beside him while looking up at the towering building. They were staring at it uneasily just as Danny was, which was strange. The two ghosts had never been scared on a job, leaving Danny to feel anxious all by himself. They always blew off his worries but now they were second guessing themselves. Danny wouldn't put it past them that they could sense something he couldn't since his ghost sense wasn't the best. If that was the case, they were in for a load of trouble.

Parked farther up were Danny's companions on the case. He never would have come to St. Dymphna's Asylum by himself, even with his ghostly companions. A place like this was rumored to be haunted with dozens of ghosts, malevolent and benevolent. From what he could tell by the information his partners on this case, only a few were hostile but the spirit world was always different to a medium than a regular human.

Danny's partners on the case were the Tennessee Wraith Chasers and the camera crew that followed them around. One of the founders, Christopher Smith or Chris, had reached out to Danny after stumbling across the twenty-one-year-old's website and asked if the medium would like to help them along with their new, upcoming case on their TV show. Danny had said yes immediately, as this was his living and he figured he might as well get some business along the way.

Sam and Tucker had found the entire thing ironic, as many years before the trio had mocked all paranormal shows and now the young adult was going to star in one. Danny had merely rolled his eyes and said that he still didn't have his own, which was their original goal in life before they had gotten a little more realistic about their (after)lives and simply started their (technically, Danny's) small business of moving ghosts on through the ghost portal.

"Who's ready to be creeped out?" Danny asked his companions, turning his head to look at them. Humorously, he raised his hand and wasn't surprised to see Sam's and Tucker's follow after his. They all smiled at each reassuringly before the ebony-haired man opened his car door and slipped out, shutting it behind him. He opened the back door and grabbed his pet carrier with his two cats, calling to Firecracker and Lock to follow. The dogs did as they were told but Danny was surprised to see that they didn't take off exploring and instead kept to his sides. He brushed it off though and walked to meet the Tennessee Wraith Chasers.

Chris met him first, shaking his hand and greeting him warmly. Danny said his own hello and was quickly introduced to the rest of the team that consisted of Doogie, the cofounder, Porter, their historian, Chasey, and Brannon, their inventors. All of the Chasers were thrilled to meet the medium that had come to join them.

"And who's this little guy?" Doogie asked, bending down to look into the pet carrier. He yelped and jumped back when Hissy-Fit tried to shred his face, hissing loudly at him. The other Chasers laughed as Doogie backed away, laughing breathlessly.

Danny smiled at him reassuringly. "Well, you just met dear ole Hissy-Fit. I found her during one of my jobs and thought she was just scared. Later on, I found out she just hates everyone. My other cat is in there as well. Her name's Skittles. She's much friendlier than Hissy-Fit is and is the only one Hissy-Fit won't try to maul. She was adopted at the kennel."

"Well, isn't that pleasant?" Brannon said sarcastically, still snickering at Doogie's near heart-attack.

Danny smiled and hummed in an 'I don't think so' way. "Not when you live with the little demon, it's not. It can actually be considered hell on earth. I go through so many pairs of jeans…"

The group laughed again. Sam and Tucker were smiling at Danny's sides, watching the small meet and greet take place. The dogs still had yet to take off from Danny's side to investigate. Firecracker was shifting anxiously since he was the more active of the two. Lock was steady in his stance, though he shifted as well every once in a while.

Tucker slung an arm around Danny's shoulders, though the ebony-haired man didn't really feel anything except for his jacket shift a little. "I think you just made yourself an interesting batch of friends."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle. The Chasers looked at Danny with a questioning look since no one had said anything particularly humorous. No one had said anything at all, really. Danny merely smiled and shrugged. "I have a couple of friends that are ghosts. I talk to them a lot. Their names are Sam and Tucker and the ghost dogs are Lock and Firecracker."

"Are you kidding me?" Brannon questioned.

Danny continued smiling humorously, hearing snickering from his two friends beside him. "No. I wish I were joking sometimes-"

"HEY!"

"-but they're here and they follow me around. If you don't believe me, you can use one of your light-up devices." Danny said before telling his friends to stay there while he walked around the large building. Setting the cat carrier on the ground, Danny told Lock to follow him. Chasey asked where he was going and Danny answered "For a walk. Sam, Tucker, and Firecracker will test your equipment and I'm going to go check out the railroad in the back. I want to see if there are any ghosts."

"Why?" Chris asked, confused. He and his friends were looking between themselves in confusion.

Danny shrugged casually. "I read over the deaths that occurred here and one was an escaped patient that died via getting hit by a train. I'm just curious to see if he's still there."

They nodded in understanding and Danny turned around, walking away again. He called for Lock's attention one more time and the Irish wolfhound trotted up beside him, keeping an easy pace. The ebony-haired male found it strange but didn't bother to think too much about it. As the two neared the house, Danny jerked back as his footing faltered. His breathe hitched, as if he'd been punched in the gut. His blue eyes looked up at large asylum with shock.

His ghost sense had never been this strong outside of a building he'd been investigating before. Heck, ninety percent of the time it didn't work outside the building in question at all. Because he could see ghosts as he could see humans, his ghost sense was very underdeveloped. Having four ghosts hanging around him most of the time suppressed it even further. The feeling in the pit of his gut now was unfamiliar and strong. It actually frightened Danny.

Taking careful steps forward, Danny continued walking forward with Lock by his side. The wolfhound seemed to know the small turmoil flowing through the human's side and had his own storm going on inside him. Walking beside the large building to get to the back was almost unbearable for the two since the feeling was so strong.

After finally reaching the backyard, Danny and Lock walked to the railroad a ways farther. The walk was quiet, though the grass rustled under the human's feet. The farther they walked from the old asylum, the more the haunted feeling surrounding the two eased. There was some remnant of a ghost around the train tracks but it was not nearly as strong as the air surrounding St. Dymphna's Asylum.

Danny didn't hesitate to step on the tracks and stand in the middle of them, looking both ways for any oncoming trains. Seeing and hearing none, he looked out into the distance and saw the sun starting to set behind the mountains. If he remembered correctly, the insane patient had been killed around this time but it had been raining. They wouldn't have seen this view.

Danny perked when he heard the long sound of a train's whistle blowing. He looked to his left and was startled to see a long, black train coming for him, still blowing its whistle as it traveled along the tracks. Danny tried moving but his feet were literally rooted to the ground. Lock started barking at the train as Danny's pupils shrunk to tiny, black pinpricks. As the train quickly grew nearer, Danny instinctively covered his head with his arms, tensing his body as he waited for the blow as his eyes snapped shut. However, all he felt was the wind rush by him, blowing his clothes and hair. The whistle rang in his ears so loudly he was sure he was going to be deaf when it was over. Lock's barks were in the distance.

The ebony-haired man waited but the whistle started disappearing and the wind began dying down. His eyes opened and his head whipped back and forth, looking for the train. There was none, even though the whistle was still fading into the air like smoke. Lock's barks had died down to vicious growls as he stood protectively by Danny's side, having never moved from the spot.

The young man panted, still desperately searching for the train because if it wasn't there, that meant he had just had his first vision. That little gift that usually came with being a medium was just as broken as his ghost sense. He'd never before been able to have a vision, no matter how many ghosts had tried. It scared him.

"Come on, Lock." Danny said, turning around and eagerly stepping away from the tracks. The wolfhound's growls died and he followed after, still walking beside the human. He was close enough to brush against the older's leg. Unlike times before, his clothes not only moved away because of the dog's touch but Danny could also feel the pressure of the dog against him, which was another thing that never happened. According to the quick way Lock looked up at him in surprise said the wolfhound was just unused to the feeling as Danny was. The two walked on though, keen on getting back to the others.

The first thing the two saw upon getting back were Sam and Tucker laughing their heads' off while Firecracker stayed mesmerized with the lights that lit up whenever he went near the sensor. The 360 sensor was the most intriguing Firecracker found, running around it and watching all the different colors light up as he ran around it. The Tennessee Wraith Chasers were laughing as well, watching with fascination as the sensors went off and lit up with brightly colored lights.

Danny couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, especially when Lock lunged over and joined Firecracker. The two bumped into each other a dozen times but they were too interested in the lights.

Sam and Tucker looked up when they saw Danny walking over and tried to stop their laughing. The young man waited quietly by the cat carrier as they calmed themselves, occasionally cracking up before repeating the process of calming down again. It took a good five minutes but Sam and Tucker looked at Danny expectantly.

"So how were the train-tracks?" Sam asked curiously, crossing her arms over her chest as she tilted her head to the side.

Danny glanced at the Tennessee Wraith Chasers before turning his blue eyes back to his long-time friends. Stuffing his hands in his red jacket's pockets, he nervously whispered "I had a vision of a train almost hitting me when I stepped onto the tracks."

The two ghosts' eyes widened dramatically at the young man. They looked like they didn't quite believe him, even though Danny was not the kind of person to joke about his job. He was always stating facts and was always very blunt about it. Danny didn't sugarcoat ever. It just wasn't in him.

"But you don't get visions! That part of your brain is as broken as that old CD player you keep around the house!" Tucker said, earning a glare from Danny. "How could you have gotten a vision?"

Danny huffed and looked up at St. Dymphna's Asylum looming over them. The feeling he got when he walked closer had faded when he approached the group still lingering on the outskirts of the property. Turning his gaze back to his friends, Danny answered "There's either a really power ghost here or a good frikkin amount of them that have shared their power levels with each other. I can sense the spirits inside the closer I get to it. Walking to the back was a nightmare. Even Lock had trouble with the overwhelming power."

Tucker and Sam grimaced, glancing at each other. Sam shook her head, rubbing her arms uncomfortably. "This is not going to be a fun night, is it?"

Danny sighed and shook his head. "I don't think so. Not this time."

Sam sighed. "Wonderful…"

Tucker crossed his arms and looked closely at his friend, recognizing the expression Danny wore and listening to the tone he used when he spoke. "Alright Danny, tell us whatever plan you've got going on in your head. You've got that look on your face again. You know, the one that screams trouble?"

"It's not trouble and it's not even really a plan." Danny assured, rolling his eyes and looking back towards the abandoned asylum.

"Oh…" Sam said, leaning against her cocoa-skinned friend. "It's going to one of those plans. We're not going to like it."

Danny turned his eyes back to glare. "It's a good thing I've trained myself to ignore you because it is going to one of those times. We're not staying together when we enter this building. They're probably going to split up into two groups and you're both going to go with one of them. Lock and Firecracker are going to stay with me and the cats are doing whatever they want."

"Hey, we don't split up during our jobs!" Tucker stated, thinking back to all the jobs they had been on and it was true. Sam, Tucker, and Danny had never split up before. Lock and Firecracker were usually the ones that liked going off and tracking the ghosts down, barking to alert Danny of the ghost presence in the building.

"But we're never done a job like this." Danny stated. He was loud enough to catch the attention of the Tennessee Wraith Chasers that had hardly realized he'd come back with the dogs playing with the sensors. Firecracker and Lock stopped as well, looking at the man curiously. "We've never worked with a team and this place-" Danny pointed to St. Dymphna's Asylum looming a distance away. "-is so much more different than any other place we've worked at. This place scares me. I want to be able to protect them-" Danny pointed to the Chasers. "-from things they can't see. I have my protection in the form of Firecracker and Lock. You two can communicate with other ghosts. The dogs can't but I can. _Please_ guys."

Sam and Tucker were quiet. Danny looked at them pleadingly and he mouthed 'please' again. The three were locked in a battle of wills but, as usual, Danny held out the longest and the two ghosts caved. They agreed but threatened Danny with his life that if something happened to him, they were killing him so they could beat the crap out of him in the afterlife. Danny only smiled gratefully before getting closer to the Wraith Chasers and asking if they had a plan.

Chris, ignoring the odd display Danny had shown them, explained that they were going to split up into three groups of two for each level of the building and, right then and there, Danny was already interrupting him, saying he would like to work alone on one level. The Chasers tried to object but Danny insisted, saying he didn't even want one of the cameramen around. He just wanted a video camera to record what he did so he could talk to the ghosts one-on-one with a less chance of scaring them off and to save his dignity since he didn't want to look like an idiot, talking to air and all.

The Chasers finally relented and Danny smiled and said his thanks. He let the five know that Sam and Tucker would be with them but would stay well away from the sensors so not to get in the way. Danny told them that unfamiliar ghosts sometimes brought out the resident spirits, which finally made the Chasers interested in having a ghost with them at all times. Danny also said the cats would roam the building and, if you ran across one of them, to make sure they weren't staring at thin air.

Chris laughed when Danny was done talking and said "Man, you know how to hijack a plan, don't you?"

Danny smiled humorously. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just that most people, even other mediums, hate working with me. I like to do my own thing and I make up my own terms for things because I never studied this crap."

The group laughed and Danny went off to grab a video-recorder, microphone, tape-recorder, a walkie-talkie, and flashlight from the camera crew's table of equipment. He saluted them before they could object and moved on. Danny rejoined the Tennessee Wraith Chasers again. Before they entered the building, Danny was pulled aside anyhow by the camera-crew so he could explain, on camera, who he was and what he did since he was, technically, a guest star of sorts. Once the little experience was over, Danny was back over with the Tennessee Wraith Chasers and Chris was going over the plan again for the camera. Danny took his cues like a pro, which Sam and Tucker both thought was hilarious.

Once they started inside again, Danny had a hard time approaching the building, flinching away from the structure and grimacing as he tightened his hold on the pet carrier. Lock and Firecracker stuck close to the human as he led them inside while Sam and Tucker flanked his sides. The other Chasers were ahead of him and didn't notice the mediums hesitation and obvious discomfort at going inside.

As they entered, one of the camera-crew quietly shut the door behind him, allowing Danny to open his pet carrier and let the cats out. He was surprised when he practically had to drag both of them from the crate and close it so they wouldn't try to crawl back in. When the two cats saw their haven was inaccessible, they roamed around Danny's legs nervously. Hissy-Fit wasn't even attempting to use his leg as a scratch-post. The two hardly noticed the dogs, Sam, and Tucker.

"Do they do that often?" Chasey asked humorously before he noticed Danny looked shocked and nervous.

The medium looked at his anxious cats, shifting dogs, and the expressions Sam and Tucker wore on their faces. Though they hadn't had as much trouble approaching the building as Danny did, the amount of energy surrounding the building was unsettling. Even they were a little afraid to see what was inside the building.

"They don't ever do this. Hissy-Fit and Skittles always go off on their own. I can't blame them for hating this place though…" Danny mumbled, looking around the large front room. Everything was faded and looked like it came straight from a black and white photograph. The front desk looked menacing and the only furnishings were a few wooden chairs that would surely break if anyone attempted to use them. Cobwebs hung in the corners and dust floated in the air like snow frozen in time.

Chris looked at Danny curiously and in questioning, though there was a reassuring smile on his face. "What? Is this creepier than you imagined?"

Danny took a deep breath and nodded, looking around the room. He didn't see anything too out of place but he could faintly hear whispers. The words were lost to him though, too quiet to actually understand. "Yeah, actually. As a medium, I can sense spirits' energy but my ghost sense has never been very good because I can _see_ ghosts. The amount of energy in here makes it feel I got hit by a truck."

"Will you be ok?" Doogie asked carefully. He was the kind of person that wouldn't dare make a person do something they weren't up to doing.

The raven-haired medium nodded and took another deep breath. "Yup. I'll be fine. It'll go away. What floor do you guys want me on?"

Chris answered that Danny could stay on the ground floor. The medium nodded, flipped on his audio-recorder, and held up his camera, ready to start video-taping. Chris directed the rest of the team and they split. The camera-crew followed after their respected groups with Sam and Tucker hesitantly in following after. It left Danny alone in the front room with Lock, Firecracker, Hissy-Fit, and Skittles huddled around him. The medium sighed before saying "Well… Here goes nothing."

Turning on the camera, Danny walked towards a window. The horizon in the distance was pitch-black. However, the color grew lighter as the sun in the west tried to penetrate the darkness in the east. Danny sarcastically asked the air around him why all these TV shows had to be filmed at night before moving on. Apparently, all the hot-spots the Chasers had mapped out during the day while Danny tried to get to the asylum before filming started were on the higher floors. The young man didn't care honestly. The entire building was just one giant hotspot on its own.

Sighing, Danny began walking throughout the halls of the lower floor of the asylum. He had to take his flashlight out to navigate through the growing increasingly dark hallways. His little animal posse followed only a few paces behind him religiously. They were never more than three paces away, hovering near Danny anxiously. The medium understood the feeling perfectly well.

As Danny weaved in and out of the halls, he occasionally would call out to anyone listening. He could still hear all the ghosts' murmurs in his ears but didn't see any of them. Neither the cats nor the dogs were much help in pinpointing where the ghosts were since their heads were always pivoting to a different location every five seconds. The human half-wished he could see everything they could. It'd make his job a little easier.

"If you're there and I know you are," Danny called, looking around and willing any spirits to appear in front of him. None did. "I just want to talk to you. It's not like I can hurt you…"

Danny whipped his head to look at Firecracker as the Belgian sheepdog skittered away from a doorframe, bumping into his leg and barely pushing him away. Firecracker looked up at the human, shocked, and Danny shared the same look. The ghost had actually touched one of the few living beings around and had pushed Danny a little. That did not happen often.

The human scoffed and looked around the dark hallway with wide, blue eyes. Feeling the small prods of terror creeping into his mind, Danny quickly let his flashlight wander over all the surfaces of the hallway in front of him before doing the same behind him. All he saw were small flashes and he couldn't even make out what they were. Danny frowned at the darkness around him. Carefully, Danny bent down, put his equipment down so they faced him, and hesitantly put his hands on the dogs' head. They were physical beings under his hands. The three shared startled looks. Danny mumbled "How many ghosts are here?"

The only reason Firecracker and Lock had been able to touch Danny was because of the energy drifting through the air. There had to be hundreds of ghosts if they gave off enough energy to make the two dogs tangible enough for Danny to be able to touch them. Who knew what the other ghosts could do with that kind of power?

Hissy-Fit and Skittles watched the whole encounter with their wide eyes, still sticking close to the man's side. They made no move to touch the dogs as Danny had done and preferred to stay with their living master.

All of the beings jumped when they heard a loud _bang!_ Danny grappled for the flashlight, shining it around the hallway. Again, he only saw flashes in the various doorways and that was all. Danny hesitantly picked up the video camera again and stood up straight. Tiptoeing down the hall, Danny tried to keep himself calm. He knew Lock and Firecracker were more than capable of fending off hostile ghosts; they'd done it before. It was still terrifying to be in his situation without another person to talk to for comfort.

As he passed the doorframes, Danny looked inside and pointed the camera in, showing what was inside the room. So far, he still saw nothing and doubted his camera was picking anything up. Sighing, Danny called again "I know you're there! Can you please come out? I don't think I've ever been this terrified in my life. And I wish I was joking when I said that."

Nothing happened.

Danny flashed the camera in another bare room, looking through it thoroughly to make sure there were no ghosts in the room. Sighing, he turned back to the hallway, screamed, and jumped back. The flashlight fell from his hands and rolled across the ground with the video-camera quickly following in its flight. The cats pressed up closely against Danny's legs while the dogs growled viciously.

Oh, Danny had _never_ wanted to see anyone that had hung themselves, much less a teenage boy at that!

The medium fell to his knees and grabbed for his flashlight again. Once it was in his grasp, he pointed it up and the teenager was gone. The dogs quieted and drew closer. The cats meowed and whined unhappily. Danny calmed his breathing, looking around for the ghost but finding him gone. Brushing his ebony hair out of his face, Danny felt sweat on his fingertips. He grabbed his camera before getting up again. There was another _bang!_ in the distance, making the small group jump again. Danny gestured for the small caravan to follow him and moved down the hallway slowly. "I hate this place…"

As they were passing another doorway, they heard a _bang!_ inside and leaped out of fright. Danny muttered a curse under his breath and flashed his light inside the room. He raised an eyebrow in questioning when he saw that it was an office that was fully furnished. It was dusty, yes, but still completely furnished, unlike all the other bare rooms. The medium moved the flashlight to the door where a plague that read **Warden** was screwed into the rotting wood.

Carefully stepping inside the office, Danny scanned the room again with his flashlight. He found what had caused the ruckus: a filing cabinet. Three of the four drawers were shut. The fourth hung open, revealing the forms inside that had probably long since decayed. The edges of the papers were yellow and curling in themselves, revealing its age.

Danny placed the camera on one of the cabinets and set it up so it watched the whole room. He placed the audio-tape next to it, in case a ghost appeared. It had been rolling since they had gotten in the old, abandoned asylum but Danny had no idea if it had picked anything up. He knew the only ghosts he had heard so far were the two dogs.

The medium began investigating the room, wondering why the ghosts roaming the building were causing a ruckus in this room. The first things he saw were the pictures across the walls. Some were of patients. Others were of, what appeared to be, the last warden of St. Dymphna's and some of the nurses. How they were relevant Danny didn't know, unless the warden was one of the ghosts that lingered in the building. It was stated that he had died here, having been killed accidently by an out-of-control patient.

From what he had read, Warden Walker had it coming to him though. He wasn't known for being very passionate or caring. Walker had run a tight ship or you were out before you could plead for forgiveness.

After looking through the pictures, Danny went through the desk. He stopped and moved away when the pair of scissors on the top of the desk moved ever-so-slightly. Just as the scissors moved, Firecracker and Lock growled menacingly at the filing cabinet. The cats hid in-between Danny's legs, fur standing on edge as their eyes gleamed in the low lighting.

Seeing where they were barking, Danny moved over to the cabinet and began going through it. As he had thought before, the paper was old and ink was smudged on most of the sheets. Decay had managed to creep up on the old pages, eating away whatever had been written.

Danny found nothing in the cabinet but the dogs were still growling at it protectively. He asked them what was so interesting about it, even though doing such a thing was useless. Firecracker and Lock couldn't answer him, even if they wanted to.

The medium sighed and figured he should probably move along before he spotted something sticking out behind the back. Danny moved closer and looked in the small crack. He jerked back and took a step away, almost tripping over Hissy-Fit in the process. The Oriental cat didn't try to rip him to pieces after his accident, which was surprising since she liked to blame him for everything.

Danny gulped and braced himself against the cabinet. He pushed and winced as it screeched against the ground, groaning under his hands. After he had moved it aside, he stared with wide eyes into the dark abyss that had been behind it. The stairs that led into the pitch black were inviting him to walk on down, even though the medium was terrified to know what was beyond the staircase.

Lock and Firecracker began barking loudly and Danny covered his ears, tensing his muscles. Their yaps were the loudest sound in the universe. In the darkness, they sounded much more menacing than they did when it was bright out and Danny even knew they were not directed at him. Spinning around, the medium yelled for them to shut up. The loud barks fell back into low growls.

Now that it was quiet again (Danny half-wished the dogs would start barking again; the silence was suffocating), Danny heaved a breath and looked into the dark abyss again. He debated with himself about going in, ignoring how both cats were clawing at his jeans in a 'don't go down there' way. Both of the dogs had stepped in front of him, daring him to go down.

Chris's voice started over the walkie-talkie, scaring the crap out of Danny, who had gotten used to the quiet. He asked his friends on the second level how they were doing, getting good news from them. Danny was asked next and smiling nervously into the dark void in front of him, he nervously said "It's all good down here…"

" _You sure? You don't sound ok._ " Doogie stated.

Danny hummed and nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah… Doing great. Just working really hard done here. The ghosts have found that it's fun to scare the literal crap out of me."

Though they didn't do it over the walkie-talkie, Danny had a feeling the Tennessee Wraith Chasers were laughing at him in the other parts of the huge asylum. Though it wasn't uncommon for them to get scared, they still found it pretty comical when it happened. It was just one of those unexplainable traditions they had.

There were no other voices over the device and Danny sucked in a breath. Hesitantly, he grabbed his equipment again, walked through the dogs, and shivered when he felt their bodies' around his legs. Firecracker and Lock whined but followed Danny as he slowly made his way down the stairs while the cats were having none of it and retreated. Whether they would find one of the other groups or rip their way into the cage was a mystery.

The staircase seemed to go on forever but that could have easily been because Danny was going so slowly. Firecracker and Lock were following behind one pace religiously. They wouldn't dare get even one more step away, brushing against the back of his legs over and over again as they slowly climbed down the staircase one step at a time. The medium kept waiting for the staircase to give way but it didn't.

As Danny finally made it to the level under the creepy, old asylum, the walkie-talkie buzzed with static but Danny could faintly make out Brannon's voice saying something about his cats. He didn't bother to answer, not even sure if what was said was directed at him.

The medium moved his flashlight around the hallway in front of him and suddenly felt much sicker than before when he saw iron bars with rusty doors barely hanging on their hinges. The dogs pressed against his sides, whimpering and whining as they looked around the forsaken cells and unforgiving hallway.

The smell was the worst. Not only was the air stale as a crouton but a metallic scent added with sweat, rust, and decay lingered on. It gave Danny a headache and he was sure he was going to vomit if he continued to stay there. However, Danny took steps into the hallway, flashing his light around and looking into the cells. He was horrified to see some had dry skeletons inside while others only had brown blood stains clinging to the floors, walls, and cots.

Even worse, some of the cells had ghosts in them that were beyond helping. They stared blankly, whispering incoherent words under their breaths. Some didn't seem to notice Danny was there while others looked at him with these calm but murderous gazes, still mumbling whatever mantra they had lowly. Their blank and haunted gazes would follow him until he disappeared.

Firecracker and Lock stiffly walked beside the tense young man, growling lowly at all the ghosts they came across. They were acting very much like body-guards, not willing any of the ghosts to even approach the iron bars that kept them inside the cells. Nothing was keeping them there but they remained in their dark cells, watching anything that moved or, in some cases, they didn't watch at all.

Danny was sick to his stomach, holding his camera unsteadily. He was starting to feel achy throughout his entire body and sweat poured down his face. It could easily be the fact that the stuffiness of the air was starting to get to him but he had a feeling it was because of the information he knew. There had been many disappearances in Warden Walker's time and no one had figured out where the patients had disappeared to. Sometimes they popped up again, others were never seen again. After Warden Walker died, none of the missing patients appeared but no more vanished either.

Well… Danny knew where the missing people went to: right down to the pits of hell.

At the end of the hallway were an iron door and another hallway off to the side. Danny had the hardest time pushing the door open and fell flat on his face when he did. The dogs were beside him immediately, hovering over his fallen body protectively as they looked into the abandoned room that was hotter than the hallway for the cells. Danny got up, shining his flashlight around and trying to keep his camera steady as the heat got to him.

The room looked like it had been used for shock therapy with beds lining the walls, rusted and broken restraints on most of them. Along the back wall, large cabinets lined the cement bricks behind it. Old syringes and rusted scalpels lay across the counters and who knows what else was stored inside those cupboards? The sheets on the beds were slowly being eaten away by bugs that found themselves in the hot basement. A couple of the sheets had brown blood stains across them, obviously not having been used for shock therapy.

The smell hit Danny like a truck. It was identical to the one he smelled in the hall, just stronger. His flashlight caught a skeleton lying on the ground in the back, wearing a dirty, faded white dress that was slowly being eaten away by the same bugs eating at the various sheets. The blank face was facing the medium and, while he suppressed the urge to vomit again, he wondered why he was still recording.

A gasp escaped Danny's mouth when the room lit up with a low, blue light. He tried backing away but found he was frozen, just like on the train tracks. The edge of his vision was black and dripping dead ink. What he could see of the low-lit room was like an old recording before TV was a thing, skipping occasionally as the tape reeled.

People disappeared in and out of the beds within seconds of fading in and out. Some he saw more than once; other people he did not after the initial first time. All wore the same hospital gown, some dirtier than others. Echoing screams and gasping breaths fell from their mouths. They fought against the restraints holding them down, trying to escape whatever horror they were going through.

Throughout all this, a nurse stood in the back with a sad expression. Her brown hair was put up in a pristine bun at the base of her neck. Her hands were clasped in front of her, hanging limply. Her ruby-red lips were turned into a sad frown. Hazel eyes were sad, tears dancing around the edges of her visions. She listened to the screams and the echoes, barely keeping it all together. Without her even moving, her throat and wrists suddenly split open, blood seeping from both and staining her perfectly white dress. Any life in her eyes that remained drained away instantly and she dropped to the floor.

The vision stopped.

Danny took another gasp and stumbled back, ramming into the wall. He heard his equipment drop to the floor again and he vaguely wondered why he kept lugging the camera around. The poor thing was going to break at the rate he was going.

The medium kept his eyes closed for the longest time, not daring to look back into the room and stare at the blank gaze of the nurse's skeleton. The dogs hovered around him anxiously, whining for his attention. Danny instinctively patted their heads, basking in the simple fact he could feel them.

Only when he felt a little bit better did Danny push off the wall and shut the iron door again. The way it creaked was eerie and the slam that followed was terrifying. It honestly made Danny want to run and never look back.

For the umpteenth time, Danny bent down and scooped up his poor camera and the banged up flashlight. After assuring himself that Firecracker and Lock were still standing protectively by his sides, Danny began carefully stepping towards the swinging doors at the end. He felt he came upon it rather quickly but it wasn't like the hall was long. As soon as he began pushing one of the doors open, it fell off its hinges with a loud _crash!_

The whispering in the cells behind Danny began louder, letting him make out one word before they all fell back into quiet murmurs.

 _…_ _Walker…Walker…Walker…Walker…_

In the room beyond the swinging doors was one of the smallest rooms Danny had seen in the asylum. It had its own set of cabinets and one examination table in the center of the room. Thankfully, there were no aged skeletons lying around the room. No one had died in here.

One thing Danny noticed was the immediate drop in temperature. It was freezing beyond the swinging doors, though they shouldn't have been able to retain the cool temperature. The medium pulled his light jacket around him tighter with his flashlight hand, pointing his camera where he could while keeping his arms close to his body.

Stepping inside hesitantly, Danny set the camera on the cabinets as he walked around the small room. Though the air was just as stale as the rest of the sublevel, it almost completely lacked the smell of blood in the air. It was actually a nice change of pace for the ebony-haired young man.

The medium stopped beside the examination table, shining the flashlight across the surface. It didn't shine because of all the dust and grim that had collected but it wasn't covered in dried blood either. That was a pleasure in itself.

The longer Danny stared at the table, the more he became mesmerized with it. He hardly noticed Firecracker and Lock whining and, occasionally, yapping at him to get moving. The human's blue eyes became unfocused and Danny pulled himself onto the table, lying down while dropping the flashlight, yet again. Danny stared at the ceiling blankly, hardly noticing the dogs barking in his ears to get his arse out of the room.

The dark atmosphere fell away, becoming lit lowly with blue light. The feeling that he was watching an old movie through reels started up again and, as the images skipped a dozen times, faces of Warden Walker and the nurse with brown hair appeared above his face. The warden looked just as menacing as his pictures while the nurse continued to hold back her tears. Voices drifted through Danny's ears and, though he knew the words they were saying, he didn't catch the meaning. His feeling of calmness was replaced by pain in an instant, making Danny scream in shock, fear, and pain.

The medium rolled off the table and Danny landed on the ground harshly. His hand fell on top of the fallen flashlight, his fingers instantly wrapping around it. The dogs were above him instantly, barking and growling at something viciously as they took on defensive stances. Danny rolled onto his back, flashing his light in the direction Firecracker and Lock were barking.

Danny screamed again.

A black figure was standing over the table. The features of his face were lost in the utter blackness of his skin and the mist surrounding him. However, Danny knew exactly who it was without even needing evidence to confirm his thoughts.

 _…_ _Walker…Walker…Walker…Walker…_

The medium's screams were cut short as his throat closed up. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to breathe, the occasionally hitching gasp falling from his lips. The dogs barking was suddenly much louder than it should have been before everything in his vision became fuzzy and blurred. All the sounds he knew started becoming very far away. The words that Walker spoke, which most people would remember vividly later on, were also lost to him. Then everything became blessed black.

…

 _The nurse stood at the end of the hallway beside the iron door, gesturing for him to follow her._

 _Then it was blessed black again._

 _The nurse stood at the end of the hallway at the bottom of the stone staircase, gesturing for him to follow her. Murmurs whispered in his ears._

 _Then it was blessed black again._

 _The nurse kneeled beside him as he struggled to climb the stairs, assuring him everything would be ok with her soft voice._

 _Then it was blessed black again._

 _The nurse stood in doorframe of the large asylum, gesturing for him to come her way. He could see the concrete porch and the black sky behind her._

 _Then it was blessed black again._

 _…_

 _"_ _Danny! Danny, wake up! Danny! Danny, come on! Wake up! Danny!"_

Blearily, the young adult opened his tired blue eyes and found himself staring at someone's kneecaps. A bunch of different voices were talking above him, which only made his head pound worse. His stomach rolled and his body ached all over, especially his throat. He felt like he had caught the flu and tried to close his eyes again. He was not allowed to when someone smacked the back of his head.

"Don't you dare pass out on us, you little idiot!" Sam's angry voice rang in his ears.

Danny's head throbbed painfully and he groaned. Danny mumbled "Sam, don't yell."

Someone clamped his shoulder before Danny was forcefully pulled into a sitting position. He shut his eyes tightly when he felt another roll of nausea and felt sweat drip down his face, matting his ebony hair against his forehead. The medium heard someone ask "Hey Danny, you ok?"

"I feel like I got hit by a truck." The medium drawled, opening his eyes as the nausea became a little more bearable.

Doogie frowned at him. "Dude, what happened to you? You never answered our calls over the walkie-talkie and when we started wrapping up for the night, we found you lying in the middle of the yard, passed out."

Danny looked around and, sure enough, he was sitting in the grass a good distance from St. Dymphna's Asylum. Heck, he was almost to the parked cars. Lock and Firecracker were sitting behind him, peeking their heads over his shoulders as they whined. They brushed against his clothes but he couldn't feel them physically anymore.

The medium sighed and said "I need to think for a minute."

Falling onto his back again, Danny suppressed a groan at awakening his nausea again. He closed his eyes, blocking his view from Sam, Tucker, Lock, and Firecracker. Thinking back over the night, Danny tried to piece together the fragments of his memory. He found himself walking through the halls again, looking in all the cells, seeing the horrors inside the iron door, and being lured onto the examination table by Warden Walker. After that, he was physically attacked and quickly fell unconscious after that. Then there were the few flashes of the nurse he saw in his visions, standing in various places around the asylum.

"Where are Skittles and Hissy-Fit?" Danny asked, still keeping his hands pressed against his closed eyes. He didn't want to get up from the cool grass but he knew he was responsible for the cats.

"We put them in their carrier. They're waiting in one of the cars." Chasey's voice answered.

Danny gave him a thumbs-up and mumbled "Awesome…"

"Alright dude, just tell us what happened already." Tucker's voice stated, hovering over Danny's lying form.

The medium sighed unhappily but didn't make a move to get up. "I'm going to make my story very short, ok? My throat hurts… Anyways, some of the ghosts led us to the warden's old office and I found a staircase behind his stupid filing cabinet. After walking down, I found a bunch of cells. Some of them had skeletons in them. There were tons of ghosts beyond help in the cells and they'd probably rip you to shreds if you tried.

"Beyond that, I saw an iron door and opened it. You don't even want to know what was in there. I had a vision of that room and saw a nurse… I think she slit her own throat. Beyond the door, there were two more and I went through them.

"I think that room might have been Walker's personal laboratory… I don't know for sure. I put my camera down and, stupidly, got on the examination table in the center of the room. I had another vision of Walker and the nurse standing over me before I fell off the table because I felt shooting pain throughout my body. Then I saw Walker and he's turned into a literal demon over the years. He tried to choke me to death and I passed out.

"After that, it's pretty fuzzy. I saw the nurse in a bunch of places, always gesturing for me to come to her in between blank spaces. Then you all are waking me up, screaming in my ear, and making my headache worse."

"Aw Danny, you idiot~!" Sam moaned, falling onto her back and mirroring her friend's position in the ground. Tucker looked like he wanted to sock his friend in the head but was unable to do so.

"Dang man, you got hit hard, didn't you?" Chris asked.

Danny merely nodded. "That I did. Now, I need you guys to promise me something before we pack up and leave, ok?"

"And what do we need to promise?" Brannon asked.

The young man opened his eyes and stared at the Tennessee Wraith Chasers. "Promise me you won't go back in that ghost infested hell-hole. I have no doubt Walker will find a way to lure you to the underground level and find a way to kill you all. Other places may have demons and hostile ghosts that only push you guys around but Walker tried to choke me to death. I am not keen on letting anyone go back in there."

The five looked at each other surprised. Danny continued to stare at them seriously. He wasn't joking when he said he wanted no one to go back into the asylum. Someone in the future would, he knew that, but at least he could keep five people from going on a suicide mission.

The Chasers shared a look and silently argued amongst themselves before Chris sighed and promised not to go back. Danny smiled, nodded, and allowed them to pull him up. Chris led him to their truck and told Danny he wasn't driving until he felt less likely to be sick. The medium agreed and hopped in the car, giving Chris the walkie-talkie, audio-recorder, and microphone for investigation. The flashlight and camera were still underground.

Looking out the back, Danny saw Sam, Tucker, Firecracker, and Lock in the bed of the truck. The cats were beside Danny, meowing softly.

Knowing everything was going to be ok, the medium fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 **THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER, I SWEAR! I just watched a little too much Ghost Asylum one day and then the idea spawned like a virus or something. ...on that note, don't watch Ghost Asylum for three or four hours before going to sleep. You will not sleep, you will forget to make half of your bed the next day, and after putting on your socks, you'll try to put your flip-flops over them. Genius, no?**

 **And now that this chapter is over with, I shall be writing one more one-shot before I leave for New England tomorrow! ... I have to wake up at five tomorrow! *starts crying***


	5. First Encounters

**WARNING: HORROR-THEMED CHAPTER AHEAD.**

* * *

Ch.5: First Time for Everything

Maddie sighed happily as she set another box in their new home. As she straightened herself out, she looked around the living room with their couch and two armchairs. Other cardboard boxes matching the one she had set down were scattered about the room and continued on into the kitchen and the rest of the house. The walls already had a couple of photos in frames hanging from them, showing the house what the family moving in looked like and how much they cared for each other.

On the second level, Maddie could hear Jazz and Danny in their respected rooms. The two had been thrilled about the house, happy to have moved out of their grandmother's. As much as they loved her, living with the older woman just wasn't as pleasurable as it had seemed beforehand.

Jack walked through the front door, holding another box. He smiled at his wife as he set his box beside the one she had set down. As he straightened, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a one-sided hug. "Isn't this place just great?"

The red-haired woman hummed and nodded her agreement, leaning into the embrace her husband had initiated. "It is. I can't wait to get everything unpacked and get settled in."

"Well then, let's get this show on the road!" Jack agreed pleasantly, pulling away and walking towards the front door again. Maddie followed behind eagerly, ready to get every last box off the truck and into its respected part of the house. The faster they worked, the faster they would be able to enjoy their new home.

Upstairs, Jazz was in her room, already unpacking her things and arranging them around the room. The small five-year-old did everything with unsteady hands but persistent eagerness. Dolls were placed across the shelf just above her bed and her picture books were placed on the small bookshelf under the window. A nursery rhyme fell from her mouth as she moved around the room, opening the boxes that weren't taped shut.

On the other side of the hallway, four-year-old Danny was trying his best to do the same as his sister. He had his space posters spread across his bed, ready to be tacked to his bedroom walls. His toy and model rockets were set up messily across his shelves, no discernible pattern present. He had already stuck glow-in-the-dark stars as far up on the walls as he could reach above his bed but it wasn't far. His stuffed animals were lined up along his pillows on his bed, staring blankly ahead at oblivion while keeping their stitched smiles up.

Halfway through unpacking his things, Danny had grown bored with the task and played with a few of his toy rockets in the middle of the room. A plastic beach-ball he had painted grey was the moon and Danny made rocket-sounds as he flew the spaceships around the room, landing next to the moon as the invisible astronauts inside got out to investigate the unknown lands of the crater-filled ball in the sky.

Downstairs, he could hear his parents walking in and out of the house, carrying boxes and setting them down and talking as they did. Whatever they were discussing didn't matter to the four-year-old since it was adult-talk. It wasn't interesting and didn't make sense ninety-percent of the time anyways.

Danny could also hear Jazz singing across the hall and smiled as he talked in his 'brave voice', pretending astronauts were walking across the beach-ball painted grey.

The youngster was unsure of how long he played his game, restarting a new scene whenever he felt like it, when his mother called for her two children to come eat dinner with her and their father. Danny responded eagerly, having smelt food cooking a little earlier beforehand and raced from his bedroom. He and Jazz laughed as they stomped down the stairs and zoomed for the kitchen.

Inside, Jack was smiling and having a beer while Maddie boiled hotdogs and stirred cheese sauce into a pot of noodles for their first night. Buns were already sitting on the table with ketchup and mustard. It was the children's job to set the napkins and silverware around the table. After doing their nightly routine and climbing into their chairs, they smiled in glee when Maddie began turning off the stove and moving everything over to the table. Jack set two glasses of milk in front of each of the children and then the adults sat around the table, spooning mac n' cheese onto each of the kids' plates, as well as giving them one hotdog to start.

Chatter started around the table as the family enjoyed their first night in the home. Danny occasionally would play with his food before getting told otherwise by his parents, laughing as they corrected him. Jazz only giggled at her brother's antics, occasionally trying to snatch a spoonful of cheesy noodles or a bite of hotdog before also being reprimanded lightly.

Maddie hummed as she took another bite of her food. She smiled, chewed, and swallowed. As she spooned another bite, she asked the kid's "So did you guys start unpacking your things without your father and I or-"

 _BAM!_

The small jerked in their seats and looked around the kitchen for the foreign noise. Both parents had put their silverware down. Danny still had a spoonful of macaroni in his mouth and Jazz had just stabbed a piece of hotdog with her fork, ready for entryway into her mouth.

"What was that?" Maddie asked.

Both kids shrugged, looking at each other nervously before slowly going back to eating their food and filling their hungry tummies. Jack's chair scooted back as he got up, smiling reassuringly. "It's probably nothing but I'll go look around. You guys keep eating."

Maddie nodded and watched as her husband wandered from the kitchen in search of the mysterious sound. Danny and Jazz were instantly reassured everything was fine as their father went off to double-check. Light chatter fell from both of their mouths and Maddie strained to smile at them as she waited for her husband to come back and finish dinner with them.

Smiling still, Jack came back a few minutes later and told his wife that he hadn't seen anything out of place and that the sound was something that had been knocked over in the attic. This calmed the red-head and she easily fell back to enjoying dinner with her family. The kids' speeches hadn't receded since they had started up when their father had left the room.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Maddie and Jack had to amuse the kids since the TV hadn't yet been set-up and they put the two to bed at the usual eighty-thirty time. At ten, they followed after and went to their own bedroom filled with unpacked boxes that would need attention the next day so the cardboard boxes could go.

In the middle of the night, Maddie was awoken by a tug at her night-shirt sleeve. Stirring, the woman blearily woke up and opened her eyes to look at the figure tugging at her sleeve. Seeing her daughter, Maddie scrunched up her face and whispered "Jazz? What are you doing up? You should be asleep in your room."

Jazz looked at her mother fearfully. "I'm scared. I thought I saw something in my closet. I wanna stay with you."

Maddie smiled and picked up the little child and set her down in-between her and her husband. "It was probably nothing, Jazz, but you can stay here for the night. It just can't happen every night, ok?"

The small child smiled, nodded, and crawled under the covers, snuggling up to Maddie's pillow while lying beside her mother. Maddie smiled back before settling down, getting ready to fall back asleep. Just before she could, Jazz rested her hand on the older woman's wrist and shook a little bit. Maddie hummed in question.

"Danny was talking in his room too."

The mother's eyes opened and squinted at her daughter. "Why was he talking?"

Jazz shrugged and tucked the comforter under her chin comfortably. "I don't know. I think he was talking to someone named Lila though, whoever she is. Night Mom."

Before Maddie could ask more, Jazz was out like a light, hugging her end of the pillow. The mother frowned at her daughter before turning over and letting her legs drift over the edge and feel the floor beneath her feet. Maddie stood, fixing the blankets around Jazz before walking quietly out of the room and down the hallway, towards her son's room. She stopped outside his half-open door and listened for any noise inside.

There was none.

Carefully opening the door, Maddie peeked in and saw Danny lying on his side with his back to her. He was still under his blankets, head perfectly placed in the middle of his pillow. Lying beside him, his favorite stuffed husky that was as long as the boy laid beside him. A fistful of soft fur was clutched in one of the four-year-old's fists.

If Danny had been awake before, he definitely wasn't anymore. The boy was as still as a statue in his bed, dead asleep.

Frowning, Maddie half-closed the door again before walking back to her room. She missed how, behind the door, the sounds of ruffled sheets emitted and the little resident's voice said "She's gone now, Lila. You can come out and talk to me again. … There you are! Did you really hide in my closet the whole time Mommy was in here?"

The next morning, Maddie fixed her two kids a couple of Pop-Tarts before she and her husband dove into unpacking their things. They sent Danny to finish unpacking his toys, having taken care of the other things beforehand. They were sure that, while he unpacked, he played with the things in the boxes.

Periodically, they found things they had already taken out back in the boxes, shut tight. It was strange but they brushed it off, thinking it might have been their spouse playing a joke or they had simply never taken the item out.

Unpacking took a few days but they managed to get it done before Jack was expected back at work and Jazz started her first year of school, which was only a week after they had moved in. Maddie was a housewife and planned to go back to work after Danny began school as well.

A few strange things happened here and there during "the week of unpacking": foreign noises, things moving, Jazz claiming to see shadows. All of it could be brushed off and forgotten with ease. They started ignoring the strange "wack-a-doos," as Jack liked to call them when he teased Jazz about seeing shadows.

The easiest thing to ignore was Danny's new imaginary friend Lila. He talked to her when no one else was paying attention or when he was in another room, away from the rest of his family. He was very self-conscious about his new "friend" and tended to avoid the subject of it entirely when it came up, which was very unlike him.

A few days after Jazz started school, Maddie was walking down the stairs with a basket full of clothes on her hip. She was a humming a random tune to herself, thinking about checking up on the only other resident present in the house. She turned off the steps, heading for the laundry room just off to the side of the kitchen. She happened to turn her head to the basement door as she did, screaming and dropping the laundry basket when she caught sight of it. It landed with a _bang!_ on the ground.

Carved into the wood of the door were the jagged and blocked words: **_Get out!_**

Maddie breathed heavily as she stared at the new words on the door. She tried to think of someone that would find something like that funny but no one came to mind. Jack didn't believe in damaging their new home and Jazz was the poster child for following the rules. The only one who'd do it was Danny but he couldn't reach the knives and wasn't allowed to use them in the first place. Besides her family, no one else had yet to come into the house. No one had come in, either, because all the windows were locked and the front door squeaked obnoxiously every time it was opened.

The red-head didn't have time to ponder the strange new decoration either because, upstairs, Danny shrieked " _MOMMA!_ "

Maddie was taking the first few steps up the stairs when she heard Danny's first terrified and hurting sobs. At the top of the staircase, she saw her ebony-haired son stumbling halfway down the hall, holding out his hands and wrists that were covered in gashes leaking bright red blood. Behind the sobbing four-year-old, red droplets splattered across the floor, all the way down to his bedroom door where the spots continued inside.

Maddie felt a spike of fear in her chest before she forced it down, reaching her arms out while bending over to reach him. Her hands hovered under the boy's hands. Red droplets fell off his hands and wrists, spotting her skin red. The blood was warm against her flesh and sticky, clinging to the palms of her hands.

"Danny, what happened?!" Maddie asked, slowly turning around. Danny's hands, still hovering over hers, followed. He turned around slowly with his mother. Words that didn't make sense sputtered from his lips and not one coherent word made it out. Maddie patiently led him down the hall to the bathroom while he tried to explain what had happened the best he could. He gave up when his mother finally set him on the sink in the hall bathroom, wrapping white towels around his tiny hands and wrists to stop the bleeding.

Maddie sopped up all the blood that hadn't dried yet, leaving Danny's hands and wrists stained a sticky red. The gashes were dark red, almost black, standing out distinctly against the rest of his skin.

The mother sighed in relief when she realized they were just a little deeper than a regular old flesh wound. They bled a lot but stopped after a little bit of pressure to the cuts. Once they had stopped, Maddie wiped up all the blood from the four-year-old's hands and wrists with a wet hand towel, cleaned them with a little peroxide so Danny wouldn't scream his head off anymore, and then wrapped them up with a little bit of gauze. The cuts were too close together to put Band-Aid's on without potentially ripping one of them open again.

Danny's sobs quieted during the cleaning process to small cries before evening out to high-pitched hiccups every couple of seconds. He watched his mother work silently, his face blotchy and red. Once he was all settled down, Maddie finally asked "How'd you cut yourself like this, Danny?"

A dry sob escaped the child's mouth before he cried "I don't know!"

Maddie frowned but didn't question further, whispering small assurances. She figured Danny was just too freaked out with seeing that much blood at one time to answer anything properly so she decided to give it a little time. For now, she'd give the entire event a little rest and let Danny calm down a little more.

Picking Danny up and setting him on the ground, Maddie gave the child a little push towards the bathroom door. "Go downstairs and watch some TV. When I come down, we'll have a little ice-cream, ok?"

Danny sniffed, nodded, and walked from the room and towards the stairs, avoiding the mess. Maddie watched him disappear out of sight before rinsing the bloody hand towel out and washing the blood sticking to the porcelain down the drain. Quickly, she took the wet hand towel to the hallway to begin cleaning up the blood that had splattered in the hallways all the way to Danny's bedroom.

After wiping up all the blood just inside the door and on the inside doorknob, Maddie got up with a sigh while attentively holding the bloody hand towel. As she was turning, something glinted from half-behind the small twin bed. Curious and confused, Maddie moved around the bed to see the foreign object before gasping in shock.

Lying on the ground was one of her favorite kitchen knives. The wooden handle had been broken in two, leaving the blade itself exposed. The blade's sharp edge was dented, dulled, and bent; warped even, in certain places. Blood streaked the edge and made it shine red from the lights blaring down from the ceiling.

Gulping down the lump in her throat, Maddie bent down and wrapped the wet, bloody towel around the exposed blade. She held it in one hand carefully while picking up the pieces of the broken handle in the other. The mother walked out of the room, holding out her two hands from the rest of her body in case she dropped something. She was extra careful as she walked down the steps and entered the living room, looking over to her quiet son.

Danny was sitting on the sofa, one of his arms draped over his abnormally large husky animal. He was watching the television but wasn't focused on it at all. His face was still blotchy and heated in his cheeks but it was fading quickly.

The four-year-old looked up when Maddie placed the broken, wooden handle on the coffee table in front of him. Opening the towel to show its content, Maddie asked "Danny, I found this in your room. Did you take this up to there, break it, and accidentally hurt yourself?"

Danny looked at the blade and broken handle set before shrugging. "No. You told me not to play with the knives so I don't. I don't know why it was in my room."

Maddie gave her son a stern look. "Danny, why was this in your room?"

The ebony-haired boy shrugged again, staring at the warped blade blankly. "I don't know. Can we have ice-cream now?"

The red-head almost told him no out of frustration but Danny's gauze covered hands and oblivious look made her irritation drain away instantly. There was nothing in his eyes that suggested he had taken the knife from the drawer and had taken it to his room. Besides, there was still the question of how he would have gotten it in the first place. He was too short to reach the drawer on his own.

Sighing, Maddie forced a smile and gestured to the kitchen. Danny slid off the couch with a small smile, trotting towards to door with his mother following behind. He climbed up onto his chair while Maddie went to the freezer, pulling the container out inside. She scooped some ice-cream into two bowls she pulled from the cupboards above her head. The mother set one bowl in front of Danny as she fell into a seat beside him, taking a bite of her chocolate ice-cream. Danny smiled and took a bite of his, his mouth turning brown instantly.

The two giggled as they ate, chatting lightly and ignoring the gauze wrapped around Danny's skewered hands.

Before the end of the week, Jack and Maddie had covered up the markings on the door with a brown poster. They had tried to have someone just replace the door but the hinges had somehow been melted together, molding the door and the frame together. Even better, the hinges had rusted badly. They could always just tear it down but they didn't feel like spending the money to do it quite yet.

The only thing that happened for the rest of the week was finding Danny's scribbles of 'get out' in Sharpie across all the walls and doors in the house. This one they could pin on him because the handwriting was messy beyond comparison and they always found the Sharpies in Danny's room (though the same could be said for the knife). The only reason Danny could write that much and spell correctly was because his sister loved teaching her younger brother whatever she learned, which included spelling. And Danny absorbed a lot of what she taught.

On the Friday after Danny's little "accident," Maddie was going through her recipes for dinner when she was distracted by Danny's voice in the living room. He wasn't talking loud and Maddie got up, standing against the wall to keep herself hidden from the boy.

"Lila, can I talk to you later? I'm watching TV with Basket right now. He's upset because I've been spending more time with you than him. I promised Basket we'd spend the entire afternoon together."

Aw Basket… The wonderfully named stuffed husky Danny loved to death…

"Please Lila? I'll play with you later~. I promise! … Ok, thank you!"

'Lila' must've left because Danny didn't speak again, lying across the couch as he watched whatever show was on TV at the time. Basket was lying beside him with his head turned towards the screen flashing the kids' show. Danny had his head resting at the base of Basket's neck, one hand tucked under his chin while the other was lying under Basket's body. One of the four-year-old's legs was also draped across the husky's body, since the stuffed animal was about as long as Danny was.

Maddie sighed before moving back to her pile of papers and sorting through them, though her mind lingered back on Danny's exchange with his imaginary friend.

The family didn't have another incident until the next week. Once again, it was just Danny and Maddie in the house while Jack was at work and Jazz was at school. The red-head was in the middle of cleaning up Danny's arts and crafts supplies, different pictures scattered all around the table. She was smiling as she looked over them, laughing occasionally at the silly pictures the boy had scrawled across them.

As Maddie bent over to wipe the table down, she was stopped by a sniff in the direction of the door. She looked over, brushing her hair out of her face. Her eyes widened when she saw Danny, silent tears spilling down his face, in the doorway, holding Basket, who had been ripped to shreds. The poor animal looked like he had been put through a grinder with tears all through its body, stuffing pouring from its various wounds. One eye was being held in Danny's white-knuckled grip.

Maddie rushed over, kneeling before Danny and taking the stuffed dog from his hands gently. "Danny, oh my gosh, what happened?!"

The four-year-old burst into sobs and threw his arms around his mother's neck. "I didn't mean to! I was just playing in my room when Jordon showed up and started telling me to leave home forever! I told him no but he kept telling me to leave! I got mad and ripped Basket up! I didn't mean to!"

Maddie set Basket on the ground and picked Danny up, rocking him in her arms. She whispered assurances to him, though she was shocked to hear what the child had to say. Danny wasn't at all violent, especially to his most beloved stuffed animal. He got frustrated, yes, but he had never lashed out physically before.

And _who the heck_ was Jordon?!

Maddie stroked her son's hair as she continued to rock him, walking around the kitchen to ease his cries. "It's ok, Baby. We can get another one. We'll go to the store and-"

"But I don't want another one! _That's_ Basket! That's _the only_ Basket!" Danny cried, removing one hand from around his mother's neck to point at the forsaken stuffed animal on the floor. His face remained buried in his mother's neck, tears staining her skin and the collar of her shirt. His hand retreated back around her throat, holding on for dear life.

Maddie sighed. Figures… Danny knew what sentimental value was without actually _knowing_ what it was…

"Sweetie, we're going to have to get another Basket. That one is all ripped up." Maddie stated, turning around and beginning to walk to the other side of the kitchen slowly, still trying to calm her little baby.

Danny cried a little more before desperately asking "Can't you fix him?"

Maddie bit her lip as she looked over the shredded husky. She had a little talent with sewing but not as much as her mother had had. The woman didn't think she could fix the stuffed animal but her baby wasn't giving up on that thing for nothing. He was going to keep bugging her about it until he exhausted all his resources.

Sighing, Maddie said "I'll try."

Danny popped his tear-stained face out of her throat and asked "Really?"

Maddie nodded and gave her son a small smile. Danny gave a strained one in return and was set on the ground. He went over to his stuffy and gently brought him into his arms, walking back over Maddie in a silent question of what to do with the raggedy, old thing. The red-head told him to take it outside and wait for her on the porch-swing, where she might as well sit while she worked on the husky. She figured she could get some fresh air while she tried her best to revive the animal.

Danny did as he was told without hesitation, taking Basket outside and waiting for his mother. Maddie found her tiny sewing kit lying at the bottom of one of her drawers in her room. After finding it, the mother of two took it outside and sat down on the porch-swing, where Danny was waiting for her patiently while he lovingly held Basket in his arms.

Maddie didn't have any thread that matched the light grey of the stuffed animal's fur and had to settle for string that was a little darker than Basket. She threaded her needle before trying to salvage as much stuffing as possible before beginning to sew up the biggest gash Basket had in him. She sewed him up with as much care as possible but she knew it wasn't going to come out perfect.

The red-headed woman half expected her son to leave when she started her task or leave soon thereafter. However, Danny nestled down by her side and rested his head on her thigh, watching every time she stuck the needle through Basket's 'flesh' and stitched him back together. His tired blue eyes drooped after an hour or so and he drifted off to sleep with his head in her lap.

Not long after Danny dozed off, Maddie finished stitching up most of the rips. It only took a little while longer to sew the more minor ones together. The woman had no idea what to do with the round eyeball and, after carefully sliding out from under Danny and replacing herself with Basket, she went inside and got some super-glue for the one-eyed husky.

Once Basket was all together again (though it wasn't the most well done job in the world), Maddie left Danny sleeping on the porch swing with Basket under his head. She had all the shutters open in the house so she could watch him from the kitchen and know if anything happened. She resumed the task of cleaning up Danny's mess in the kitchen, storing the pictures away for later.

Danny woke up around the same time Jazz came home on the bus. The two came inside and Maddie noticed over the chatter of her daughter that Danny was thrilled with the revival of his favorite stuffed dog but she also saw he was nervous beyond reason. The mother brushed it off, thinking he'd snap back by the end of the day or, at the max, the next day.

She was wrong. So very, very wrong.

Maddie wasn't sure why it transpired but all she knew was that, with each passing day, Danny interacted less and less with his family. He was nervous around them, always carrying Basket around, holding him closely to his chest tightly. He began flinching away from their touch, even though they'd never before done any sort of thing to abuse him. With his anxiety also came depression and being dead tired. He stopped playing with his toys a little more every day and found most things uninteresting. Most days he spent lying on the couch with Basket under him sleeping or just lying there still.

As such, he was also becoming even clumsier than before. In three weeks, he'd tripped down the stairs and knocked his head on the faucet hard enough to knock him unconscious so he sunk under the water in his bath, only to be pulled from the water seconds later by his mother who had just been passing and noticed Danny wasn't moving. Both had ended with trips to the hospital, just to be sure there would be no lasting damage.

Maddie and Jack, of course, were becoming anxious as well. Jazz was continually seeing 'shadows' in her closet and avoided her room, trying to persuade her parents into letting her sleep with them. She also told her parents she kept hearing Danny talking to Lila in the middle of the night while she was trying to sleep, despite her fear of the things lurking in her closet.

After a particularly good day where Danny had had a little more energy than before, Maddie slept peacefully beside her husband. She was woken up in the early hours of the morning when she heard a scream that echoed throughout the entire house. She was up and in the hall before Jack had gotten out of bed, calling her kids' names. When Jazz peeked her head out of her room, terrified, Maddie's mind instantly went to the only other child in the house.

"Danny!" Maddie called, looking around the hallway. Jack was rushing downstairs to see if the boy was there as she called and, as she turned her head, the woman's mouth dropped open at what she saw.

How _the hell_ did Danny manage to get the ladder to the attic down?!

Maddie was rushing up the ladder before she even realized she was moving. Jazz wanted to follow but Maddie demanded that she stay in the hallway before she made it to the top and stood in the stuffy and dark attic. She groped in the pitch black for the chain to the light-bulb and, after a few dozen tries, finally hooked her fingers around the dangling cord. There was a _click-click_ as she pulled. Light flooded the attic seconds later, making Maddie squint her eyes in an attempt to ease the ache that was there as soon as the light was on.

"Danny?" Maddie called again, looking around. In the quiet, she could hear the boy's telltale crying in the back and walked towards the sounds, looking behind boxes she and Jack had hauled up there in the early days of living in the house. She found Danny in the very back in a corner, face buried into Basket's back but unharmed. The husky was staring at her and smiling ominously.

Maddie walked up behind the boy, saying his name again. She kneeled beside him, placing one hand on his back while the other went to his exposed, tear-stained cheek. "Baby, what's wrong? How did you get up here? … Danny?"

The small child jerked his face from her hand, looking at the wall on the other side of him. He was rocking himself, holding onto Basket for dear life. Danny wouldn't talk and he refused to look at his mother. No matter how many times she called his name and no matter how many questions she asked, Danny wouldn't answer in any way, shape, or form.

After giving up on answers, Maddie sighed and picked Danny up, placing him on her hip. He didn't speak and buried his face in her neck to hide, gripping Basket with one hand while the other was draped around her neck and clinging to the sleeve of her tank-top. Maddie walked back to the front of the attic, clicked the light off again, and carefully climbed down the latter with the boy in her arms. At the bottom, Jack and Jazz waited patiently.

Once at the bottom, Maddie patiently coxed Jazz back to bed. Maddie tucked Danny into his own sheets, noticing how he fell asleep instantly. As she and her husband were entering their room again, Maddie stopped him to say "He's going to the pediatrician tomorrow."

Jack nodded gravely, understanding his wife's concern and feeling some anxiety himself. "Good idea."

Quietly, the two entered the room again and Jack walked around the bed to his side. Maddie climbed into her side and fell asleep uneasily.

The next day, Maddie kept true to her word and took Danny, who seemed to be worse off than usual, to the pediatrician's office. Though she didn't have an appointment set up, she said it was urgent to see Danny and Jazz's pediatrician, Dr. Harris. Lucky for her, Harris had some time between patients that morning and agreed to look Danny over.

Maddie chose to wait in the waiting room when her ebony-haired child was taken to the back. It seemed like an eternity before he came back out with Harris. Danny only walked to his seat when he came out and used Basket as a pillow, closing his tired eyes to rest.

The red-head strained a smile as she walked up to the pediatrician. "And?"

Harris's smile, which had been at a million watts the entire day, dropped but didn't disappear completely from his face. "Physically, he's fine. He's still a bit banged up from his little excursions but fine, just tired. Mentally and emotionally..? I'm not quite sure what to tell you there, Mrs. Fenton."

Maddie sighed, rubbing her crown with one hand while she closed her eyes.

"I tried talking to him, like you suggested, but he only gives monosyllable answers, which I thought was unusual from past visits he's received. He avoids talking about his new imaginary friend, Lila. As for Jordon, he won't talk him about at all. The only thing I can tell you is that he's depressed and anxious with no distinguished reason as to why." Harris continued, shrugging with a frown on his face.

The mother sighed and shrugged back. "Well, thanks for trying, Doc. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. And you could always try talking to him in the car or when he's lying in bed at night. Sometimes it's easier for kids to talk when you're not looking at them directly and can't see your reaction." Harris suggested.

Maddie nodded, said another thank you and a goodbye before calling for her child to follow her. Danny responded instantly but was sluggish in his movements, walking beside her tiredly. The mother led Danny to the car, buckled him into his car-seat, and began the trip home.

The car ride was quiet. Maddie waited until she was nearing her house until she began to ask questions. "So Danny, did you like seeing Dr. Harris again?"

The ebony-haired boy shrugged. He was looking out the window, watching the scenery fly by with disinterested blue eyes. Basket was lying across his lap, looking out the window with him with his plastic eyeballs and stitched smile etched into his face.

"…" Maddie took a peek at him in her mirror. "Honey, can you tell me about Lila?"

"Why do you want to know about Lila?"

The mother was taken aback by the answer she received. Maddie took another peek in her mirror and saw that Danny had moved his head to look in the mirror as well. His tired eyes seemed to be directed at her accusingly. Or maybe they were defensive; she couldn't quite tell when she had to look back at the road every few seconds.

"Well, she's your friend, isn't she? I want to hear about your friends, Danny. Jazz talks about her friends all the time. What about you, Honey?" Maddie asked, taking her eyes from the mirror and focusing them back on the road. Danny said nothing in the back.

"Honey?"

"She's just a friend, Mom."

Gosh, he sounded like he was trying to hide the fact he had a crush on a girl. She wasn't supposed to be having this conversation this soon and, especially, not about an imaginary friend Danny had that seemed to be eating the life out of him.

Sighing, Maddie said "Danny, your father and I have been worried about you lately. We think Lila might have something to do with that. Has Lila been telling you something that's made you uncomfortable or said something mean to you? Or maybe Jordon has? I know he made you mad that one day."

Was she really referring to imaginary people as if they were real? …yup.

"…he pushed me down the stairs and pushed me under the water too…"

Maddie was so shocked she almost hit the brake in the middle of the road with a car behind her. Clutching the wheel tightly, Maddie shifted her eyes back up to the mirror briefly. Danny was staring blankly out the window again, still disinterested as ever.

"What do you mean he pushed you down the stairs and pushed you under the water?" Maddie asked worriedly. The only one who had been around to hear Danny fall down the steps was her but the boy was saying some imaginary person had not only been there but had also _pushed_ him. And no one had been on the upstairs floor when Danny had accidentally slipped under the water in his bath either.

"I was at the top of the stairs and he pushed me. And when I took a bath, he held my head under the water. He's really mean…" Danny said simply, not taking his solemn gaze from the scenery passing by him.

"…" Maddie's knuckles turned white. "Danny, Jordon is imaginary. He can't hurt you."

"Yes he can. And Lila can touch me too. She likes to play with my hair when I'm lying in bed sometimes. Lila likes to tell me stories, too, and-"

Danny went quiet in the back, seeming to shrink in his seat when all he did was hunker his shoulders and drop his head a centimeter. His lips were pressed together tightly and his grip on Basket was white-knuckled, just like his mother's. Whatever he had been going to say, he obviously hadn't meant to start saying it.

Maddie peeked in the mirror again worriedly as she started pulling up to her driveway. Whatever was bothering the boy was going to have be found out now or never. "She likes to tell you what, Danny?"

"Never mind."

"Danny, come on! I'm worried about you, Honey! What is it that Lila tells you in the middle of the night?"

The boy's blue eyes dropped to the floor, ashamed and anxious. His feet rubbed against each other nervously and his fingers played with the ends of Basket's fur. He didn't seem to realize the car was pulling into the driveway, almost ready to stop. "…she tells me that you and Daddy don't love me…"

This time Maddie did hit the break, stopping her in front of her garage door. Her wide eyes flew back to the mirror, where she saw that Danny had tensed completely. His blue eyes were glassy and his lip was trembling. He'd stop running his fingers through Basket's fur. The dog was being held in a death-grip that wasn't going to be released anytime soon without help.

Maddie unbuckled quickly and got out of the car. She opened Danny's door, unbuckled him, and then brought him into her arms, whispering everything she hoped was the opposite of whatever Lila was 'saying' to him. She wasn't sure where the thoughts Danny was having spawned from but she hoped to dispel them.

The mother watched her youngest closely for the rest of the day. Danny hadn't seemed to have heard any of the reassurances she'd said to him, quietly going about his business that had become usual for him. It jabbed at Maddie's heart, watching him walk like a zombie and holding onto Basket like a life-line. A stuffed _toy_ , of all things!

At the end of the day, Maddie told her son that he was sleeping with her that night. He'd complied but he wasn't thrilled about it. Jack had been surprised and Jazz had whined dramatically but Maddie wasn't worried about her husband and she told Jazz that Danny hadn't been feeling well to appease her.

Maddie held onto Danny carefully as she slipped under the covers with him in her arms. Jack followed right behind them on the other side of the bed, saying a quick goodnight before leaving Maddie to try and work her magic. Danny, however, wasn't falling under the spell and fixed Basket in the middle of the bed with the husky's head on the edge of Maddie's pillow and the sheets lying all the way up to his throat. After, Danny tucked his head under Maddie's chin and closed his eyes.

"You know I love you, right Danny?" Maddie asked before he could fall asleep.

Danny hummed his understanding, not opening his eyes. "Yes, Momma."

"…are you sure, Baby?"

"Yes, Momma."

Maddie sighed. "Night Sweetie."

Danny hummed again. "Night Momma."

It wasn't long before both of them had fallen asleep, pressed against each other. However, it wasn't too long before Danny was woken up again. A little after midnight, Danny cracked open his eyes when he felt a breeze brush against his face. He moved his head so his chin was on his mother's shoulder and his head was lying on top of hers.

A chair had been brought up beside the bed and a woman with long, ebony hair was sitting in it. The woman's ruby lips were turned into a gentle smile. Her hands were intertwined in her lap, skin pale as death. Dark eyes watched the boy sweetly. Her white nightgown hugged her frame.

"Hi Danny." She whispered when he turned his blue eyes to her.

The boy raised one of his hands tiredly and waved slowly. "Hi Lila."

The crimson smile widened a bit at the name, dark eyes gentle and welcoming. "Hm. Baby, what were you doing in the attic last night? I told you; that's where the bad children go, remember? Bad children like Jordon, who pushed you down the stairs and made you hurt Basket. Why would you go up there?"

Danny dropped his eyes in shame down to the woman's intertwined hands. "I didn't mean to. I don't even remember how I got up there. I just remember Jordon yelling at me to get out of _his_ house …"

Lila's dark eyes flashed and her smile was instantly strained. "You don't remember how you got up there?"

The ebony-haired boy shook his head. "Why?"

Through her clenched teeth, the raven-haired woman muttered "Nothing Darling…"

Danny didn't question her further, playing with his mother's shirt in his small fingers. With a defeated tone in his voice, Danny whispered "Lila, are you sure Mommy and Daddy don't love me? Momma kept telling me how much she loved me today."

All the tension drained out of the woman's body instantly and her smile, though real, was filled to the brim with solemn feelings. "Oh Baby, you know I don't lie to you. Your parents are just faking, just acting like they love you, just like so many other mommies and daddies that have lived here. This is the house they come to when they don't love their babies. Remember how your mother wanted to just get you a _new_ Basket instead of fixing him, even though that's the only Basket out there?"

Tears welled in Danny's eyes and he nodded against his mother. Lila instantly shushed him and petted his hair. Though the strands moved out of the way for the woman, Danny didn't feel her hand brush against his scalp like Maddie's always did. Lila whispered "Sweetie, it's alright. It's alright! I found you! Soon, you'll be able to be with all the other children I've saved and you'll be able to stay with them forever!"

Danny cracked a smile at the thought, tears still shining in his eyes. "When can I finally see them?"

Lila's dark eyes twinkled dangerously. "Soon. Very soon."

Relaxing in his mother's sleeping embrace, Danny asked "Tell me a story, Lila?"

"Of course." The woman consented before beginning a story about the children she had saved that now lived in the basement that was locked so no bad people could enter. Danny listened intently to Lila's smooth and relaxing words, nodding in and out of unconsciousness. Only when he was fully asleep did Lila stop talking. She smiled darkly at the sleeping child before standing. Quietly, the woman dragged her chair back to Jack's desk and disappeared.

The next day, Maddie was relieved to see that Danny was much more relaxed than before. He had the most energy she had seen in a long time. He found interest in his toys and wasn't so clingy with Basket. He talked more as well, which was another huge relief. Whatever had clicked in his mind was starting to bring his old self out.

Everything seemed to be back to normal, except for the occasional shadow in a closet or disappearing keys. It was simple things that could be brushed off. Maddie was a little worried when she found out Danny was still talking to Lila but, when she saw nothing in his attitude was changing, she let it be. 'Lila' wasn't talking any negativity anymore.

All was normal. …for a little while it had been, anyways.

Though Danny was in the best of moods, he'd also become very violent when angry or frustrated. He'd started yelling at his parents when he didn't get his way and pushed his older sister around when she refused him something. Jazz was starting to run crying to her parents more when Danny pushed her and she bumped her head or he bit her.

Jack and Maddie obviously tried correcting this behavior but Danny was having none of it. He ignored everything they said and, more often than not, ended up with quite a few punishments on his hands. It wasn't until after his punishments that he'd burst into tears, swearing he hadn't done anything wrong, telling them it was Jordon's fault for whatever he had done. When Maddie and Jack ignored these attempts at getting attention, Danny always ended in up in a depressed mood not unlike his earlier ones until the next day.

More and more scribbles of 'get out, get out, get out' were starting to appear along the walls in Danny's handwriting the more violent he got. They mostly appeared in the bedrooms, though he seemed to favor Jazz's for some reason. Along the walls, the doors, the bookcase, the sheets, the headboard; nothing escaped Danny's handwriting and no one could figure out why he kept writing it, over and over, though he swore he wasn't doing that either and had no memory of writing the words again and again.

Jazz was also starting to see more shadows in her closet, as she told her parents. It made her terrified of bedtime and she always tried to sneak into their bed in the middle of the night to hide from said shadows.

With one kid being a terrified wreck and the other riding a constant emotional roller-coaster, Maddie and Jack were quickly becoming stressed and tired. After a few weeks of the constant noise, the two agreed to a quiet date night and have Jack's mother babysit the two while they were gone for a couple hours. The grandmother of the two was more than happy to oblige, surprising the children when she appeared on a Friday night. They were happy when the two parents left. _Jack and Maddie_ were happy when they left.

It abruptly ended two hours after they left with a phone call from the house. The kids were playing hide-and-seek and Danny had hidden in the dryer. Though unsure of how it happened, the dryer had turned on while he was inside. The grandmother said he had only been in there for maybe twenty seconds before Jazz found him but still… Jazz and Jack's mother were following behind an ambulance as they spoke.

That night had been one of the worst the two had ever been through.

After an intense couple of hours, the emergency room doctor had come out and told the family that Danny suffered from bruised ribs, a mild concussion, and a shipload of bruises. They were told his injuries could have been multiple times worse and that they had been lucky to have found him before the dryer had time to heat up or give him a worse beating.

The hospital wouldn't release Danny until the concussion had passed and most of the bruises and scratches were gone. Even though Danny still ached occasionally, the family was just happy he could go home and that he would be perfectly fine.

Once he was home, the family found they fell back into one of their 'lulls.' The only things that really happened was Danny's continuous use of Sharpies along the walls, the shadow-closet people, and the other sorts of "wack-a-doos" that happened in the house.

Jazz was still terrified of bedtime and the accident with Danny had shaken her up. She insisted that she wanted to stay with her grandmother, where she was assured there was no shadow people to watch out for during all the hours of the night.

And, of course, the parents were starting to become wary of the "wack-a-doos" as well, especially what they did to their youngest child. Though they'd made their peace with "Lila," they'd come to resent the name "Jordon" and any mention of him. It seemed "Jordon" was the one behind all of Danny's accidents. And they couldn't forget the constant state of depression their son had been in because of something Lila told him.

And through all of that, the only one who was perfectly content with the house was _Danny_ , who'd been beat up the most since they had moved in. It was painfully ironic to his parents.

They weren't sure who gave them the ludicrous idea or how they even agreed to it but Maddie and Jack ended up giving a buzz over to Amity Park's local paranormal team, Black-Out Investigation. They agreed it sounded like something ghost-related seemingly lived in the house. They planned on finding out what during their investigation.

The night the team went to the house, the family went to stay with Jack's mother for the night. There were no incidents. Even moments they thought Danny was going to fall into one of his violent moods, he reacted like he would had they not moved into the dreaded house in the first place. This only made Maddie and Jack more certain that something was wrong with the house.

Unfortunately, their suspicions were confirmed the next day.

Maddie and Jack sat on one side of their dining room table while the lead investigator, Callan Summers, and another investigator, Gage Hesten, sat on the other. Another of their team members and historian, Rose Massey, stood behind her friends with her arms crossed over her chest.

The three had been the only ones in the house the night before.

Having to ask, Jack started "So did you find anything unusual with the house last night?"

The three, all of whom had been anxious and jittery when they had come over, gave each other looks before Callan turned back to the two concerned parents. "Unusual doesn't even _begin_ to describe the going-ons in this house. This next statement might sound insensitive but I'm just stating things as bluntly as possible… Holy _crap_ , I've never seen so much activity in one night as I have here."

Jack and Maddie looked at each other with terrified eyes. The color was quickly draining from their faces.

"But from what we could tell, there's only one malicious spirit." Callan assured, seeing how pale the two were becoming. His smile, though a little nervous as well, was made to be funny or spirit-lifting. However, it couldn't charm the two worried parents into believing they were in nothing less than a life-or-death situation.

Gage began digging through his backpack. "As much as we hate worrying you further, we have video tapes and recordings that you should probably see. We didn't even know about most of the stuff we caught last night until we reviewed the footage. It was disturbing how much happened when we weren't looking."

The two investigators showed the footage while Rose watched quietly from her spot against the counters. The video recordings showed shadows dancing around the edges of the screen, things getting knocked from their places and moved around (which would explain why there were many things broken and/or missing), and light anomalies floating across the screen. None of it could be passed off as bogus because the investigators were usually busy when the mystery things happened or they weren't in the room at all.

Most of the activity was found in the attic, Jazz's room, and by the basement door. Something the Black-Out investigators found unusual was that literally nothing had gone on in Danny's room, the place they had thought would be the most active. However, they failed to catch a spiritual presence in that one particular room, even when other rooms weren't investigated as much because their readings were so low it wasn't even funny.

As bad as the video-feed was, it was nothing compared to the audio the Black-Out team caught.

Gage leaned forward towards the table, turning his laptop around. It was the same one he had used to show the videos of the strange phenomenons to the Fentons. Jittery and nervous, he stuttered "We caught tons of re-recordings. Most were repetit-repetitious and we only c-caught two voices but-"

Rose stepped forward, putting her hand on the male's shoulder, silently signaling him to shut up. He did instantly.

"Sorry. He had too much caffeine and not enough sleep last night." Rose clarified before continuing. "What Gage is trying to say is that there were two voices that were caught at least a dozen times each, which is the most we've caught for any single ghost. They usually kept to the same pattern. You'll see what we mean. Gage, play the recordings."

The dark-haired male nodded and began combing through the various recordings as Jack and Maddie held each other's arms, trying to keep their breathing steady.

The first voice the Fenton parents were introduced to was of a male. The voice sounded young, probably in the middle of puberty or so. His tone was laced with irritation but no outright anger. If they listened closely enough, they could even detect some hints of worry and anxiousness in his voice. The things he said weren't cryptic at all either.

 _"Get out!" "Go away!" "Nobody wants you here!" "Leave!" "Get out of here!" "This isn't a zoo!" "You shouldn't be here!" "Will you get out of here already?!" "This place isn't for people like you!" "Hit the road, Jack!" "Why are you still here?! GET OUT!"_

The yell at the end made Maddie jump and Jack jerk back. Though some of the recordings had had to be played a few times to get the point across, the boy's scream was recognized immediately. Frankly, the parents were terrified to continue but it was essential that they did. The two had to know what they had gotten themselves into.

"Compared to the next voice, those recordings were nothing." Rose stated seriously before gesturing for Gage to play the next set.

The voice was female, much older than the male was. She sounded like she may have been Maddie's age. Unlike the boy, her tone went up and down on the emotion spectrum. On one recording, she could sound like the sweetest person; the kind of person who could lull you to sleep. The next, she could sound like she had just come from the darkest pits of hell.

 _"Danny? Danny? Danny, where are you~?" "Who are these freaks? What are they doing?!" "Get out! Go away!" "YOU INSOLENT BRAT! WILL YOU EVER LEARN?!" "They'll leave… They always leave…" "Little children, little children~! Come out and play, dears! It's time to play with the nice people here~!" "STOP IT, YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU LISTEN TO ME! ONLY ME!"_

Maddie's stomach had dropped when she had heard her son's name being called in the building. From there on, it only got worse. She couldn't understand how someone could sound so sickly sweet before screeching bloody murder at someone like that. The red-head had no doubt her husband had similar, if not identical, feelings to the presences in their house.

Rose opened her mouth to say something but didn't receive the chance. Danny had walked in the room with Basket in his arms loosely. He was smiling and began asking his parents a question before catching sight of Rose. Tilting his head, he asked "Lila?"

The dark-haired woman still had no time to say anything in reply to correct the child before Danny shook his head and said "Never-mind. I thought you were someone else. Hey Momma, can I have some juice?"

Maddie stuttered for a moment while Jack stared at his son with wide eyes. The mother finally nodded her head and got up, grabbing a bottle of apple juice from the fridge, pouring some in a cup with a lid, and giving it to the four-year-old. He took it gratefully with a polite 'thank you' and left the room, sipping at the straw while holding Basket in his free arm.

Rose mulled over the encounter silently. Gage and Callan looked at her briefly. Both had knowing looks in their eyes. There was a piece of information they weren't sharing with the Fentons.

"What?" Jack asked, looking between the three suspiciously.

Rose's eyes snapped back into focus, quickly meeting her clients' expressions. "Well, I was just going to bring up the matter of Lila and Jordon actually. That's some pretty wacky timing, don't you think?"

"What are you accusing Danny of?" Jack questioned protectively.

Callan held his hands up defensively. "She meant nothing by it. It's just that some kids have psychic abilities. They can sense and see ghosts and very few others sometimes have precognition. We're just suggesting that Danny has these abilities. Lila and Jordon aren't imaginary friends at all. They're the ghosts from the recordings."

It was like a punch in the gut for the parents. Maddie had had a nagging feeling this was coming but had refused to accept it until bluntly said by the small bunch of experts. Jack had been completely oblivious though. He'd had imaginary friends as a kid and he'd assume Lila and Jordon really had nothing to do with what was going on.

Rose pulled something out of her jacket pocket, opened up the small sheet of paper, and set it on the table. The picture was of a woman who did look oddly like Rose in front of the house they were currently residing. She was smiling at the camera and, though it was dripping with sugar, it looked malicious. Rose looked back up at the parents. "Lila Mathis lived in this house in the early 1800s. She opened it up as a small orphanage after her baby boy died of the flu. It was open for twelve years before one of the kids told his teacher about the physical and emotional abuse going on. When the police arrived, they found Lila and any kids that had been in the house at the time dead. All had had their throats slit."

Jack's white face was horrified and Maddie looked ill.

"It was believed Lila was a psychic, which would explain how she knew the police were coming to arrest her." Rose continued, her face perfectly emotionless. "The house sat abandoned for years before it was finally put on the market and sold to a family. Two months later, their youngest daughter drowned in her bath and the family left. Since then, dozens of families have moved in and out of the house. In each family, there has always been at least one death. They've all died in different ways, whether by an accident, suicide, or, in rare cases, murder. The last death that's happened in this house was that of Jordon Decker. He had somehow gotten caught in his sheets in the night and was smothered to death in his sleep. I have no doubt all of it is due to Lila and wanting to keep her victim's spirits here with her forever."

Rose set another picture on the table. A boy around fifteen with brown hair hanging in his green eyes stared up at the two parents. He had a toothy smile on his face and his arms were crossed over his chest.

Maddie's hands went to her mouth. Jack's went over his face, trying to rub the oncoming migraine. There were too many things being thrown at them.

"When did you find all this info?" Gage whispered, looking up at his friend with wide eyes.

Rose whispered back quietly "I couldn't sleep last night so I did some research."

Shaking his head at his two friends, Callan continued "From all the reports you've told us, it isn't hard to figure out that Lila is targeting Danny this time around with telling him lies and all the accidents Jordon has caused."

Maddie and Jack began conversing with the two males on what they were going to do about the problem. Callan and Gage, seeing they may have said just a _little_ too much, began trying to calm them with solutions they could try, such as bringing in a psychic and having the building blessed.

Rose's eyes had wandered to the kitchen door-frame. She could see the Danny sitting on the couch, sipping on his apple juice and petting Basket lovingly. Jazz must've been upstairs.

Rose quietly slipped out of the room and walked over to stand beside the couch. Danny looked up at her, smiled, and waved. "Hi!"

"Hi." Rose greeted emotionlessly, giving the faintest of smiles that was void of any warmth. "You're Danny, right?"

Danny hummed and nodded, blinking up at her.

"Well, I'm Rose." The dark-haired woman said, tucking some of her black strands behind her ear. Her light, hazel eyes peered at Danny curiously. "Your parents told me about your friend Lila. Is she around?"

The four-year-old shook his head. "Nah. She's playing with the kids in the basement. She'll come out later and talk to me when I go up to my room. And it's Basket's turn to play with me right now, anyways!"

"Uh-huh…" Rose muttered, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "And what about Jordon? I know you seem to not like him all that much."

Danny made a face at the name, scrunching his face up in obvious dislike. "Well Jordon doesn't like _me_. He pushed me down the stairs and held me under the water and locked me in the dryer. He's a real meanie."

Rose crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. She wasn't quite sure why _Jordon_ would be the one causing all the accidents if it was Lila that wanted Danny dead. It could easily be Jordon was being controlled but all the recordings of him yelling for them to get out and Lila's enraged screams suggested he was acting on his accord. It also wouldn't make sense for Jordon to want to help her since it was most likely Lila that had killed him in his sleep.

"Danny, where does Jordon stay? I'd like to talk to him about treating you better." Rose said, trying to sound like she was angry at the older boy but she was unsure if her point was made.

The ebony-haired boy shrugged. "Probably the attic. Lila says that's where the bad children go. The good kids get to stay in the basement where no one can reach them or hurt them."

"That's great…" Rose muttered uneasily, stealing a glance at the locked door. The readings there had been super strong and one of the recordings they caught had Lila saying something about 'little children.' After reviewing when the recording was picked up, they were surprised to find out that's when most of their shadow play had started. Could the shadows have been the kids Lila and Danny were talking about? "…you want to come talk to Jordon with me?"

Danny frowned nervously, fingering Basket's fur. Hesitantly, he said "I don't know…"

Sighing inaudibly, Rose held out her hand. "Come on. I'll be right there. Everything will be alright."

For a moment, Rose was sure Danny was going to say something that begged to differ. However, the boy apparently had a filter on his mouth and didn't say anything at all. The four-year-old merely sighed, shook his head, and slid from his spot. With Basket tucked under his arm, Danny took Rose's hand and began leading her up the stairs. The dark-haired woman was surprised to see Danny keep a pace or two ahead of her, despite the fact her legs were longer than his whole body.

Danny stopped under a panel in the middle of the hallway and pointed at it, letting Basket drop to the floor softly. "I can't reach it."

Rose let go of Danny's hand and reached up with both arms to carefully move the panel away and bring the ladder down quietly. As she finished setting the ladder down, Rose saw that Danny was already ready to go with Basket clutched loosely in his hands again. The woman frowned and said "Are you sure you want to take, uh… Basket up?"

Danny nodded and chirped "Yup!"

Rose barely kept her mouth shut. The older she got, the less she understood children…

The ebony-haired boy climbed up the ladder first. Rose found it strange he seemed so sure of himself when it wasn't too long before his mother had found him up there, crying about something anybody had yet to figure out. However, she climbed after the boy seconds after he disappeared into the mouth of the attic. At the top, she found the chain to the light and clicked it, flooding the tiny attic with light.

Danny was already looking around and Rose saw the first tinges of anxiety in his features. His arms had tightened around his stuffed dog's body, turning it into a warped tootsie-roll of sorts. His blue eyes darted around to all the corners of the attic, looking for something Rose would no doubt not be able to see if she tried.

Trying to fend off any fear he had, Rose calmly pressed one hand against the boy's back. His head shot up and his eyes bored into hers. As her expression remained neutral, Rose asked "Something wrong, Kid?"

Danny frowned, looking around the small room suspiciously. "Not really. As far as I can tell, Jordon's not here. I dun know where else he would be though. This is where he's supposed to be staying. Or, at least, that's what Lila told me… He can get out whenever he wants to."

Rose wanted to sarcastically say something along the lines of 'that's what ghosts do' but managed to keep her mouth shut for the umpteenth time. The kid was just stating facts… _obvious_ facts but facts nonetheless. She just had to be a little patient.

Danny wandered from the woman's side, investigating the room by himself (unless one counted the stuffed toy he had). Rose crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him peek behind boxes, as if he were trying to find his sister during a game of hide-and-seek and not searching for a ghost that had undoubtedly caused him some serious damage in the past, as well as making him look bad in front of his parents by possessing him completely and making him act very unlike himself (that's what the Black-Out team guessed anyways).

As Danny neared the back, he stopped dead in his tracks. Rose tilted her head to the side. Though the boy hadn't been going very fast in the first place, his stop had just been so abrupt it looked like he had been stopped by something else completely.

"Danny?" Rose called, dropping her arms to her side. Pressing her lips in a thin line, she took a step forward towards the boy. That's about as far as she made it before Danny turned around again, facing her completely. She noticed his grip around Basket had eased and was loose. His expression, which formally had been curious and cautious, was now blank and vacant. Blue eyes came into focus on her and a drop of irritation rippled through his look. Rose took a step back defensively. "Danny?"

"Get out."

Rose recoiled at the voice. Even though she knew it was so perfectly Danny's, it just wasn't at the same time. She'd expect to hear the tone around the time the boy would be turning fifteen or sixteen. It was too deep to be his but it just _was_.

Then she found herself remembering… "Jordon…"

"Get out and take everyone else with you." Danny demanded, glaring at her. His tone was laced with annoyance and anger but, just like the recordings, Rose could hear the underlying worry he held. Jordon knew just how dangerous dear ole Lila could be and it seemed he was trying to do something about it. He was trying to prevent what happened to him and many others from happening again.

Rose leveled his stare easily. "You gonna let Danny come with me?"

"Need him."

"For what?"

"Get out. He'll be fine."

"Can I hold you to that?"

"Yes."

Rose pressed her lips together in a firm line. She could always forcibly remove Danny from the house but what good would that do? She didn't know Jordon's range or how high his power levels were. Removing Danny could probably end up just pissing one of the ghosts off. And the ghost was pretty much saying he'd protect the kid. She didn't know what kind of battle was going on in the house but a ghost willing to protect was always a plus in her book since ghosts always kept to their word, benevolent or malevolent.

The dark-haired woman backed towards the exit. She pointed at the possessed child. "Protect him with your afterlife. If you don't, I'm going after you, Boy."

Danny's head nodded and Rose nodded back once. She turned and trotted down the steps of the ladder, leaving them open. As she was passing Jazz's room, she opened the door and called to the child playing inside to follow her. Confused, the girl followed while asking a load of questions. Rose refused to her answer her, scooping the girl up and trotting down the steps to the main floor with her hair billowing around her frame like a dark halo.

On her way out the door, she stopped in the kitchen doorframe, saying "We need to get out of the house. _Now_."

The four adults were up and out of their seats in an instant. Callan's face searched hers for answers. "What? Why?"

"I'll explain outside. We've just got to get out of the house." Rose hurried, already turned around and halfway across the living room. The Fenton parents and the two paranormal investigators were quickly following her out, seeing as the woman wasn't sparing any time.

Right on top of things, Jack asked "Where's Danny?"

"Already outside. Let's just hurry up." Rose said, opening up the door and setting Jazz down. She was ushered outside by her parents and Rose waited to be the last one out, locking the door quickly behind her before anybody could race back inside. As she heard the round resounding click that meant they were locked out for a good while, Rose braced herself for the backlash she was certain was coming. After all, she had just lied to two already anxious parents and locked their baby in a house with a bunch of dangerous entities. If that hadn't been stupidest thing she had ever done, she didn't know what was.

In the house and on the top floor, Danny was looking around the attic in confusion. His grip on Basket had tightened again. Blue eyes wandered around the room, trying to find the woman that had taken him to this dreaded room in the first place. How she disappeared so quickly, he was unsure.

"Alright Kid, we need to talk while we still have time."

Danny spun around, eyes widening when he saw Jordon standing in front of the steps leading out of the attic. The teen had an 'all-business' look on his face with his arms crossed over his chest. Somewhere inside his head, Danny knew the stance Jordon had taken was firm and walking through him was not an option.

Scared, Danny gulped. His mind drew a blank on what to say to the older being. Too many bad past experiences had made him extremely cautious of the other.

Where was Rose?

Jordon walked towards Danny, stopping a few paces away. The four-year-old was frozen in his spot. Kneeling down to the younger's height, Jordon said "I know I've done some pretty bad stuff to you but now's not the time, Kid. We've got one shot to get Lila out of here and save the rest of the kids trapped in this house."

Danny's expression changed from frightened to defensive within seconds. "I'm not helping you get rid of Lila! She's my friend!"

Jordon chuckled humorlessly. "No, she's not. She's a frikkin demon that wants to kill you, Danny. That's why she told you your parents hate you and made me cause all of the accidents you went through. She wants to kill you so she can control your spirit. I know because she did the same thing to me. She was my friend when I was alive, told me the same lies, killed me in my sleep one night, and is slowly taking control of me."

"You're lying!" Danny accused. "You told me to get out of _your_ house the last time I came up here!"

"I only said that try and scare you! I figured if you and your sister were terrified, your parents would leave and you'd be safe! But you wouldn't get scared so I tried making you act weird in front of your parents! That didn't work either! Kid, I've only been trying to protect you and I was doing it wrong!" Jordon insisted. "Lila doesn't care about you, Danny! She only wants control!"

The four-year-old's lip quivered while his reality crashed down around him. Somehow, everything Jordon said seemed to make sense. For some reason, Danny didn't feel like it was him understanding the situation but someone making him feel like he understood what was going on. However, it was just a feeling and was easily pushed aside.

"So what do we do?" Danny asked hesitantly, gripping Basket tighter.

Jordon brightened instantly and a relieved smile made its way onto his face. "First, we get out of this attic. She has the most control here. It's where she died."

The two turned to the exit and stopped simultaneously. Both of their expressions had dropped. It felt like ice had shot through their veins and Danny could feel his stomach sinking all the way to the floor. Once again in sync, Jordon and Danny both gulped down the lump that had invaded their throat.

For there, standing in front of the exit, was Lila, simmering angrily.

"Danny…" The woman seethed. Her dark eyes glimmered dangerously. Her hands, resting by her side quietly, were balled into fists, knuckles white. The ends of her black hair were beginning to curl like a snake ready to strike. The edges of her perfectly white nightgown were starting to turn a sickly pale yellow. "What are you doing up here?"

"Uh…" Danny mumbled, his voice catching and raising a few octaves. The fear lacing the words was obvious. Jordon wanted to reach out to assure him but knew it was worthless.

"This is where the bad children go, don't you remember?" Lila asked. Her dark irises were starting to invade the rest of her eyeballs. She took a step towards them. The ends of her raven hair curled further and her dress decayed even more. The color in her skin was starting to drain. She was slowly losing her humanly appearance and turn more into a demon the longer she simmered in anger.

"Danny…" Jordon called lowly, taking a step back to keep the distance between him and the angered woman.

The four-year-old was following the older boy's lead beautifully, taking his own steps away from the control-freak. "Yeah Jordon..?"

"Danny…" Lila called. Despite her changing appearance and furious expression, her voice still sounded as a sweet as a siren's song. If it was possible, it may even have sounded smoother than usual.

Jordon gulped again. "Run."

The two split from each other's sides and retreated to the corners of the attic. Lucky for them, the attic was decent sized and allowed them few opportunities to escape, though there was always the underlying chance that they'd be caught anyways.

At Jordon's command, Lila had let out a furious shriek. By then, her eyes were pools of black ink that dripped down her face. The nightgown ripped up the sides and the front, shredding the ends. Her long sleeves ripped away and dissipated into the air. One of the remaining straps fell off her shoulder. The curls at the ends of Lila's hair flamed, mist flying around the edges ominously. Her skin was ghostly grey, black cracks going up her arms, at the edges of her face, and up her legs. Her fingernails, which had sharpened into claws, coated over with the black ink that dripped from the woman's eyes. The only color on her was her perfect ruby red lips. The air around Lila wavered, almost making her look like a mirage their brains conjured up.

" _YOU LITTLE BRATS!_ "

The furious entity went for Danny first, cutting him off at corners and trying to contain him in one spot without actually getting close. Though she just appeared wherever she pleased, she was vaguely surprised by how nimble and fast the child was. If he hadn't hidden his stupid stuffed dog in a box at the beginning of the chase, he might've been clumsier and slower but the woman had no luck in that endeavor.

Lila cut Danny off again, much more abruptly this time. She smiled darkly when he tried to skid to a halt before her, whether to duck between boxes or simply turn around she didn't care. He wasn't stopping fast enough. His body just kept falling forward…

…right through her.

Danny yelped as he tripped and fell onto his stomach. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lila had already turned around and was baring her teeth at him, glaring daggers. Another furious shriek escaped her clenched teeth and the boxes beside Danny flew from their spots, almost crushing him if he hadn't jumped away at the last possible moment. Lila still wasn't done with him yet though. The boxes around him rumbled ominously.

"Hey witch!" Jordon called from the center of the room, hands cupped around his mouth to direct his voice. "Why do you have to pick on kids, huh?! Is it cause you're too weak to take on anyone else?!"

Lila's head snapped to him. Her hair flamed around her head like a displaced halo. " _WHAT?!_ "

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that." Jordon mused, thinking about how hindsight allowed you to see more than foresight. He didn't ponder it long though. His legs were letting him travel across the wood planks under him quickly; much quicker than Danny could run. He was so fast; he couldn't be seen by human eyes, which is how ghosts got around so quickly. If only he had had this speed when he was alive…

Lila was quickly following him. Her speed was better than his but only because she had died in the attic. Energy was a limitless supply up in the room. It was the type of energy Jordon couldn't grasp without getting burned.

The teen barely led Lila to the back, having used cheap tricks to knock her off his trail at the last second. This obviously enraged her further. With each cheap trick, she snapped back faster than the last and chased after the boy again with more caution.

Jordon was racing ahead of the woman when he felt her hand clasp, barely, on his arm. She was tightening her grip when he suddenly switched directions, racing to the side. Her hand slipped from his arm; her nails ripped through his shirt and clawed his skin. Lila couldn't stop her momentum and she flew into a mirror, plummeting into its depths.

Jordon barely managed to manipulate a sheet over the glass before she was at the front of the image, banging on the inside of the glass to get out. From what he saw before the mirror was covered in a white sheet, he saw the air around her form rippling worse than ever, flaming her body like an invisible aura.

Frankly, that terrified him.

With the sheet blocking her escape, Lila pounded on the inside of the glass and screamed profanities at the boy. Jordon ignored the loud yells as he raced to the front of the attic as he heard Danny call his name worriedly.

" _GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD! LISTEN TO ME! LISTEN TO ME NOW AND I WON'T DRAG YOU DOWN TO THE VERY BOTTOM OF HELL!"_

"Jordon! Where's Lila?" Danny asked worriedly as the older boy joined his side. He didn't get an answer as Jordon began pressuring him towards the exit.

"Come on! Let's go! _Now_ , Kid! Let's _go go go_!" Jordon quickly said, looking over his shoulder as he fast-walked behind the four-year-old as they skipped down the steps. At the bottom of the ladder, Jordon took the lead, leading Danny into Jazz's room. Using his stored energy, he threw Jazz's closet door open and began rummaging through the contents on the floor. "Help me move all this stuff out of here!"

Danny dropped to his knees beside Jordon and began helping him move everything out of the closet. There wasn't much since it was a small space but, once they were done, there was a huge mess spread out behind them.

Jordon told Danny to grab the tiniest latch ever known to man that sticking up from the floorboard in the front of the closet. Danny pulled it up and the rest of the latch slid out, as well as lifting the connected floorboards up. He lifted it up and leaned it against the wall. Below the boards, there was a hole that went on forever. Connected to the wall was a ladder that went all the way down into the dark. The bottom couldn't be seen.

Danny's mouth dropped open. Jordon had the decency to crack a smile. "Hey, this place was built a long time ago. Those people were a little nuts with secret passages."

"Am I supposed to go down there?" Danny squeaked, not liking how he couldn't see what was at the bottom. Who even knew if it ended? What if he slipped and fell? Would he crash land on whatever was down there or would he just fall forever? More terrifying and irrational thoughts invaded Danny's mind as he continued to stare down into the darkness.

Jordon rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine. It's not that far of a climb. And there's a flashlight right there."

The fifteen-year-old pointed to the stated device sitting pleasantly beside the hole on a ledge. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and looked a little older than any of the flashlights Danny had seen.

"When I was alive, I found about this passage. It goes straight to the basement. Lila knows about it but she doesn't know I know about it. As far as she knows, I'm just hiding you until I can get you out of here." Jordon assured, gesturing for Danny to begin climbing into the black abyss.

"Why do I need to go to the basement?" Danny asked fearfully, tentatively picking up the flashlight in his small hands. He clicked it on once to see if it would work and, when he discovered it did, clicked it off again.

Jordon perked at something for a minute before ushering Danny into the hole again. "I'll tell you but we have to be quick. I trapped Lila in a mirror so she knows nothing of what's going on right now because she's totally disconnected from the house. Don't know how long she'll be in there though… The basement is where she keeps the other kids that have succumbed to her control. The basement is also completely disconnected from the house, like mirrors, and Lila doesn't have nearly as much control down there as she does the rest of the house. As long as there are no distractions for the kids while they're down there, they'll remain in her control until they're called up here. All you have to do is go down there and talk to the ghosts and bring them back up here. Then we can beat this frikkin demon once and for all."

Danny gulped again apprehensively and asked "Are you sure that's all?"

"Yes." Jordon assured before his head jerked to the ceiling. His worried eyes fell back to Danny's and he gestured for Danny to, yet again, get his arse going. "Come on. Lila's making her way out of the mirror. We only have a little time left before she knows what we're doing. When you get down there, look for another kid named Tristan. He lived in this house before me and, when we were both staying in the attic because of Lila, we became friends. He only fell to her control a year ago."

Danny nodded before turning on the flashlight again, sliding it into his waistband. He carefully climbed on the ladder and began his descent. Jordon looked in the hole, wished him good luck, and then closed the floorboards over the hole again. Things began moving in Jazz's room over the floorboards, closing the exit completely.

"Wait!" Danny called. "How am I going to get out?!"

"Don't worry!" Jordon assured, yet again. "The others will help you out! I have no doubt!"

"Jordon!" Danny yelled, fear making tears prick at his eyes. He didn't get a response from the older boy and the four-year-old wanted to sob. His exit was closed and he really didn't want to go farther into the hole but he had to. Clammy and terrified, Danny carefully continued into the black abyss with the flashlight shining at the floorboards above him tauntingly.

As Danny began his descent, Jordon looked around the hallway lost as he tried to think of something to stall Lila as the younger boy went to save the other kids in the basement. Hopefully, Danny would be swift about it because he was going to need all the help he could get with taking care of the dark-haired woman.

In the attic, Lila shrieked " _JORDON!"_

Said boy stopped dead in the hallway. Once again, he was frozen in fear of the woman. Just as the screech ended, Lila appeared at the bottom of the ladder steps. The ink falling from her eyes dripped off her face and rained from her wet fingernails. The black cracks in her skin were becoming more prominent and her hair was flaming wildly. The rippling air around her continued to speed ominously, distorting the images behind her.

" _Jordon_ …" She hissed again. As she moved her fingers, they cracked loudly.

The two stood there for a moment longer before Jordon remembered who the deadly woman was in front of him. He did the most reasonable thing about it.

He sprinted down the stairs.

In the secret tunnel that led to the basement, Danny was just reaching the bottom of the ladder and touching his feet to the floor. As he turned around, he took the flashlight from his waistband and flashed it around the room. As far as he could tell, there wasn't anybody or anything down here. Just an old wash basin and a piano that was covered in the thickest layer of dust possible. More dust floated around like slow falling snow.

"Hello?" Danny called nervously. His eyes wandered around the room anxiously, trying to decipher any of the children Jordon had talked about. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a single being down there with him and he was trapped in the basement. His family didn't know where he was either. Would anybody be able to get him out without knowing where he was to begin with?

Much to Danny's utter dismay, the flashlight started blinking on and off. The boy stood, completely frozen, when the light finally died completely, leaving Danny in pitch black. A loud whimper, which could almost be mistaken for a sob, sounded from the boy's mouth as he wondered what he could _possibly_ do now that he couldn't even see where the stairs were!

Then, with no explanation, dozens of white orbs appeared in the air.

The whimper that was on Danny's lips died completely when he saw the orbs, his breath catching in his throat. He felt his entire body tense up. His terror levels were quickly rising into the hysterical screaming levels. Shakes overcame his body and a teardrop ran down his cheek. If anyone could have seen him in the tense black, they would've seen the picture of pure terror.

Something about the orbs made Danny's terror levels lower for a moment. For a moment, he couldn't quite place what they looked until he thought that they looked like… Eyes. They looked like eyes with different colored irises and a black spot in the middle of each colored sphere, though it was a little hard to see because they were foggy. They occasionally flickered, as if they were blinking.

Danny tilted his head at them. He could feel the flush draining from his face, leaving the single tear on his face feeling cold. "…hello?"

Whispers swept through the room. Danny didn't understand a word of what they were saying. It was too low; they were too distant.

"Uh…" Danny muttered, fingering the edges of his shirt in the darkness. "Are-are you the kids that Lila took control of? If you are, you can snap out of it now. She's upstairs with another boy named Jordon. He said one of you is named Tristan… You were friends… Tristan, are you here?"

The orbs continued to blink in and out. Danny could see the fogginess in them retreating, letting the colors of the other kid's eyes shine a little brighter. Danny took this as a good sign and tilted his head to the side. "Well… My name's Danny. We can all be friends, right? You guys just have to… Snap out of it?"

It seemed his just being there was bringing the other children out of their stupor. More of the fog lifted from their orbs, bringing out more and more of their colorful eyes. All were still staring at Danny blankly but their unawareness was lifting as well. Watching them was like watching someone come out of a dream; ignorant at first but gaining their bearings every second.

"You guys can see, right?" Danny asked nervously. The flashlight was dead weight in his hands. "Well… Do you think you can help me get out of here? I think the batteries died…"

"They ain't dead, Kid. We usually just hate light."

The flashlight turned on instantly. Danny's eyes widened and his mouth hung from his jaw loosely. The light source almost slipped from his fingers before the boy caught it, tightening his small hands around the base. Surprised, he shined the light around. As the light lit up the center of the room where the orbs had been, he saw a mob of kids ranging from his age to just a little older than Jordon. All were giving him smiles in excitement, happy to be free from a long spell of nothing but fogginess.

"You called my name?" A boy with sandy hair and hazel eyes asked, stepping forward. He seemed to be a year or two younger than Jordon but just as spunky.

"Tristan?" Danny asked apprehensively.

Jordon saluted at the much younger boy, clicking his tongue. "Zat would be me, young fellow. What was that you were saying about Jordon? I didn't catch it. We were all kinda sinking in and out of the waters of deception."

Even though Danny had no clue what the heck that was supposed to mean, it got the other kids to laugh, although some of the ones around Danny's age seemed to be giggling just because they could. The ebony-haired child cracked a tiny smile but kept his mind focused. "Jordon's upstairs keeping Lila distracted while I get you guys. We've got to go upstairs and help him but I don't know how to get out of here because the trapdoor is being blocked!"

All humor drained from the other spirits' faces. The thought of taking Lila on one-on-one was terrifying. None of the others would even dream of doing such a thing. It just wasn't heard of among them.

"He's taking her on alone?!" Tristan yelled, face-palming. "Man, he turned into an _idiot_ while I was preoccupied! That frikkin moron!" Sighing, he turned to the oldest, whom was another boy that seemed to be just a little older than Jordon with dark brown hair and blue eyes. "Come on, we gotta help him! He's one of us!"

The other boy sighed and nodded his head. "I know. I never said we weren't gonna help him."

Tristan grinned.

"How do I get out of here?!" Danny asked worriedly, gulping. Though being in the basement was easy with other people (even if they were dead) was easy, he didn't think he could stay down here long by himself without losing his mind. Even if they were to promise him they'd come back, he'd be a huge mess when they finally came back. And who knows how long they would take?

The oldest teen grinned at the small child and gestured to the side with a jerk of his head. "Don't worry. We've got you covered, Danny. Just follow us."

All of the ghosts filed towards the side, which was where the stairwell was, Danny found out. He was guided towards the front with the oldest boy, whom introduced himself as Griffin. Griffin assured Danny nothing would happen to him as they came upon the door. The dark-haired boy saw Griffin put his hands to the hinges. Within seconds, the door made a cracking sound before it fell forward and landed with a loud _crash!_ on the floor in front of them.

Danny gaped at it and noticed the disarray of furniture further on. Griffin chuckled but pushed Danny forward with his energy. The four-year-old stumbled forward, hearing some of the kids behind him laugh as they exited the basement on their own for the first time in a long time. Tristan joined Danny's side, giggling under his breath. "Come on. We've gotta find Jordon. Stupid, stupid Jordon…"

" _YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU SENT THE LITTLE BRAT DOWN TO THE BASEMENT?!"_

"Found him." Griffin stated, instantly becoming serious. He disappeared in an instant, as did the rest of the few dozen kids that had come from the basement. Tristan stayed beside Danny though, urging him to follow him. Danny ran behind Tristan as they raced up the stairs, following after the ghosts that had gone that way.

Everyone was at the top of the steps. Griffin had taken the front, since he was their unspoken leader because of his age. Jordon looked like he had gotten pummeled with dozens of bruises and scratches littering his skin, though there was no blood. He was leaning against a blonde girl with green eyes, wearing a short, floral dress. Lila stood at the end of the hall, chest heaving and breathing ragged.

"Enough is enough, Lila." Griffin spoke, standing protectively in front of his friends. "We're all free and the only way we're moving on is when we know you're not going to be able to hurt anymore kids anytime soon."

Startling, Lila laughed. Her crimson lips twisted into a dark smile. Her hair stopped flaming so much and the rippling around her decreased significantly. Everyone stayed still as her bare feet silently walked along the floorboards, closer to Griffin, who stayed rooted to his spot. He refused to budge as the shorter woman stood in front of him, smiling seductively at him. "Oh, but Darling…"

Griffin lurched forward, breath hitching in his throat. He dropped to his knees, holding his middle as Lila tilted her head down at him.

"…you're still just as susceptible as you were just minutes before when you still listened to me like a good little boy." The demon in a human's body stated soothingly. Her laughing pools of ink wandered to the kids staring at her fearfully. "Stupid children. Did you really think it worked that way?"

Everyone lurched forward and followed Griffin to the ground. Even Jordon, who hadn't previously been controlled, was feeling his will slip away from his grip as everything became hazy. It was like they were all being drugged.

In the back, Danny panicked as he watched everyone slowly succumb to what Lila wanted. The woman was too preoccupied with her success to care about the one insolent child who couldn't do anything to help them anyways. The feeling of wanting to reach out to the others was strong but it would have been useless; Danny knew that.

"Psst..."

Danny's attention was drawn to one of the younger children in the back. The girl had short, brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her eyes were fogging over fast but she was trying to beacon him to come closer to her.

The ebony-haired child silently fell near her at her call. Worriedly, he asked "What do I do?"

"Go downstairs…" The girl started quietly. Her voice cracked, making it a little hard to understand what she wanted. "…and play the piano."

Danny's eyes widened. "But I don't know how to!"

The girl smiled. "Yes, you will. Listen, Lila wasn't always evil. Before the orphanage… Before the evil… Lila had had a baby… The baby died; I don't know how… But she always used to play the piano before she turned evil but never again afterwards… She only wanted to…to protect us at first…but that changed a long time ago."

Danny frowned. "Are you sure this'll work?"

The girl smiled. "Yes. Now go."

The boy nodded and quietly got up again. Lila had turned her back to the children for a moment for who knew what reason while she basked in her victory. As silently and quickly as he could, Danny raced down the steps but only halfway down he heard Lila call unhappily "Danny, where are you going?!"

The ebony-haired child raced through the living room and over the door lying in the middle of the floor. With careful steps, he dove into the darkness of the stairwell, flipping his flashlight on.

"Danny, where are you going?! _Answer me_!"

Oh crap, she was right behind him!

The four-year-old panted as he stopped at the bottom of the staircase, quickly shining his light around. He could Lila behind him, angrily stomping her way down the stairs towards him. Danny found the piano off to the side and raced to it, climbing into the seat clumsily. He dropped the flashlight onto the floor but didn't bother to pick it up. Too little time to do it.

" _Danny!_ "

Danny looked at the keys, biting his lips. He'd never played a piano before but the girl had promised that he would know how to. He could hear Lila at the bottom of the stairs now. His panic levels were rising all over again. What was he going to do?!

 _"DANNY!"_

Notes started playing from the piano. Danny looked at his hands in astonishment, watching as they moved across the keys easily. Though he stumbled sometimes, his fingers never faltered on which keys to press next. The rhythmic sound sliced through the suffocating air like a knife, making the atmosphere lighter, despite the fact there was an insane demon ready to rip Danny's guts out.

Lila stood frozen in the middle of the room behind the boy. Her flaming hair had died, lying limp over her shoulders and down her back. The air that had rippled around her had ceased completely, leaving the rest of her looking like a dead zombie in a horror movie instead of an angry demon. The ink continued to overflow from her eyelids, dripping down her face and leaving black streams.

"Stop that."

Danny continued to effortlessly hit notes on time as his hands moved back and forth along the higher notes. The longer he continued, the easier playing became. The same rhythm continued over and over but it never seemed to get annoying. The notes were a simple lullaby one would play for a child.

"I said _stop that_."

The four-year-old bobbed his head, humming along to the song. A smile had even begun to grace his face.

"I said _STOP THAT_!" Lila screeched, hands quickly becoming pressed to the sides of her head. Her fingers closed around her black strands, pulling at her locks savagely. A screech blared through her clenched teeth as she retreated from the basement. She ran up the stairs, past the tired kids, and up the ladder of the attic. Even in the place of her death, the song still followed after her persistently.

" _SHUT UP!_ "

The woman stumbled around, screeching and hollering like a banshee. The boxes and furniture being stored around her rumbled and flew around. Things broke and fell in disarray around her. However, the song still wouldn't cease; the notes still danced around her ears, mocking her.

With another shriek falling from her mouth, Lila dove into the mirror in one final attempt to escape. Once she was inside, the frame shook and the glass vibrated. The entire mirror began turning on its feet, still trying to get away from the music. With one final scream of anguish, the glass shattered and rained to the floor where the old sheet laid as well.

The music stopped. The house became still.

On the second level, all the teens and children were looking at each other in confusion. The fog that had been falling on them before was now completely gone. Even the pressure in the air had dissipated, leaving the atmosphere light and easy. Everyone got to their feet shakily, wondering where Lila had gone.

Jordon was the one who went to check the attic for any signs of Lila. With everything damaged against the walls and corners, Jordon got a perfect view of the empty mirror frame in the back. The glass along the floor sparkled hollowly. They spread out around the mirror frame in a solemn halo. The gold frame stared at Jordon sadly.

The brown-haired boy came back from the attic just as Danny made it to the top of the stairs. Jordon shrugged at all the others and the ebony-haired boy with blue eyes was the only one who dared to ask "What happened? Where did she go?"

Jordon frowned. "She was inside the mirror and it broke."

Everyone winced.

Danny looked at them confused. "Why is that so bad?"

"To put it simply, Kid…" Tristan started, looking at the younger uneasily. "…being stuck in a mirror sucks. Being in one while it breaks? That's like a spirit dying all over again. It erases you from existence."

The four-year-old frowned. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Hey, it's ok." Griffin assured, smiling down at the smaller form. "Lila had it coming. It's for the best. Sure, we would've preferred sending her to hell where she would suffer all eternity but this works just as well, I guess... On the bright side, we're all free!"

Everyone cheered, including Danny. Tristan and Jordon didn't waste any time tackling each other in a bear-hug, goofing around as they enjoyed themselves. The other ghosts hugged everyone they were familiar with, whooped obnoxiously, and danced around. One even dropped to their knees and yelled as loudly as he could "FREEDOM~!"

That earned a smack from one of the girls before she kissed his cheek.

Danny hopped around excitedly and stopped in front of Jordon, who had just kicked Tristan into the next room and was laughing hysterically. "So what do we do next?"

Jordon smiled down at the boy affectionately but his lips were tinged with sadness. "This is the part where all of us move on."

The four-year-old continued smiling and asked "Move on?"

"To the next plane, Kid." Tristan clarified, waltzing out from the room he had been kicked into. "When people die, they typically move on to a place everyone likes to call heaven (or hell in some cases but the kid doesn't need to worry about that)."

"It's where we were supposed to go but Lila didn't let us." Griffin clarified. He mirrored the same smile Jordon was wearing: sad but happy, all at the same time. It actually seemed that everyone was wearing it. "Now that she's gone, we can go now."

Danny frowned. "You're leaving?"

Jordon bent down beside the four-year-old. "Yes but you'll see us again someday when you die. You'll go right on to heaven and we'll be there waiting for you. Just make sure you don't die anytime soon, ok? Dying young really sucks."

The ebony-haired boy looked to the floor and nodded. Jordon smiled a little bigger and manipulated Danny's hair into a ruffle. "Atta boy."

A grin cracked onto the little boy's face.

Jordon stood and he and his friend joined the rest of the ghost children. They waved at Danny and chorused a long goodbye, to which Danny giggled and waved back.

And then they were all gone. Just as they disappeared, a voice whispered in his ear " _Told you you'd be able to play…_ "

Danny smiled, skipped down the hall, raced down the steps, and trotted to the front door. It took a little effort on his part but he managed to reach up and unlock the door. Twisting the knob, Danny opened the door and stepped out onto the porch and was almost blinded by the flashing of police lights in the dark of twilight. From the disarray on the porch, the cops had tried entering multiple times but nothing they had done had gotten them inside. Jazz was with their grandmother, sitting inside the woman's van with her. The boy's parents were yelling at one of the cops while Callan and Gage argued in the back of a police cruiser with Rose sitting between them, looking bored. The woman saw him before anybody else.

"Momma! Daddy!" Danny called, stepping out onto the porch and waving at his parents excitedly. A giant grin was on his face as he waved, ready to receive their attention.

The two parents sprung on the child in an instant, whirling him up in a storm of hugs and worried questions. Maddie's worries drowned out Jack's, as the mother had felt the most terrified she had in her entire life. "Danny, what happened in there?! Are you hurt?! Is everything ok?! We heard screams and crashes and-"

Danny laughed as he hugged his parents back as best as he could with his tiny arms. They set him down on the ground as he said "It's ok now, Mommy! Lila is all gone now and won't bother us anymore! Jordon and all the other kids moved on too! But don't worry, I'll see them soon!"

"What?" Maddie asked in confusion.

Danny just smiled again. "It's ok, Momma. They're gone now."

"They're all gone."

 _20 Years Later…_

Danny flipped on his flashlight before he started his journey down the steps. Though the basement was still as spooky as the day he'd climbed into it, going down there was just a ritual of his every time he visited his parents. Currently, both were out grocery shopping. They'd asked if Danny had wanted to come along but he'd declined, saying he'd had things to do. Sam and Tucker never came on his visits with him, knowing he preferred to keep all his attention on his parents when he did.

At the bottom of the steps, Danny didn't hesitate to turn and walk towards the piano off to the side. The basement was still empty as ever with only a few boxes that had been moved down from the attic or other rooms. Maddie and Jack still felt eerie walking down into the room and preferred to just stay away from it entirely. That was ok though. It made navigating easier for Danny, even though electricity still wasn't supplied down here.

The ebony-haired man sat down on the bench, placing the flashlight on the floor. Danny stared at the keys for a long time, simply pondering things. Then, without hesitation, he placed his fingers on the keys and began playing the song he played every time he visited. It was the song he'd learned when he was four. It was still the only song he could play.

The lullaby drifted through the house, rejoicing no one with its music. The empty house sat quietly to listen to the notes drifting up from the barren basement.

In the attic and under the floorboards laid a lonely glass shard that had fallen there twenty years ago by accident. From it, little cries and screams echoed from it but no one could hear them over the song being played in the basement.

The song went on and on for a long time before Danny came to the point he could play no longer because, by that point, Lila had become trapped in the mirror and his mission was over with. Even though he got up and left the basement, the song still played in his head comfortingly.

* * *

 **THAT'S IT! I GIVE UP! THIS IS THE PLACE I'M GOING TO PUT ALL MY MEDIUM CRAP WHEN A RANDOM BURST OF INSPIRATION HITS! (Hopefully, those spurts of inspiration will not be as long as this one.)** **Now, I'm going to keep this marked as 'complete' but I will still post to it whenever I feel like it. Which could be months from now or never again, who knows?**

 **On another note... This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. There were many times I wanted to shoot the screen because of it. To say I'm happy it's done with is an understatement. XD And if you couldn't tell, this was Danny's first encounter with ghosts. The reason his parents were worried about him in his teen years is because they were told he would grow out of his medium abilities...they were wrong. XD  
**

 **Now, if ya'll will excuse me, I will be snacking on salt and vinegar potato chips and napping because I'M TIRED AND HUNGRY. *slams head on desk***


	6. Godfathers

Ch.6: Godfathers

Danny sat in the very back of his parents' RV, ear-buds in his ears and dancing very badly along to a Beyoncé song blaring into his eardrums. He was also mouthing along to the song and was smiling hugely. While anyone else would think he was just having an ultra fan-boy moment and was obsessing over a new song or something, he was actually trying to tick off his two best friends.

He was also doing a very good job.

Tucker rubbed his head in annoyance, irritated and steaming. As he sat across from his ebony-haired friend, he envisioned strangling Danny with his bare hands but knew it was very unlikely he would gather enough energy to do commit such a crime. His turquoise eyes darted over to where Sam was furiously screaming at the boy and figured she'd probably gather enough energy to kill him so they both could beat him up once Danny's spirit manifested.

Danny, still dancing in his seat and spinning his chair around, continued to smile hysterically as he flashed the artist of the song to his two friends. He knew the female singer would tick the two off as he ignored them because they both knew he had no interest in Beyoncé songs. His iPod was doing its job splendidly.

"DANNY, YOU FRIKKIN IDIOT! LOOK THIS WAY! LOOK THIS WAY RIGHT NOW!" Sam screamed, waving wildly and jumping up and down in front of the boy. However, he was still mockingly mouthing along to the words and avoiding looking towards her. His hands whipped around spastically, being a little pain in the butt.

In her seat not too far away, Jazz looked up from her book and looked at her erratic brother with a smile on her face. She could only assume he was doing something with his ghostly friends, which had become a little secret between him and her when she pieced things together one day. After-all, she was there when Danny had his meltdown all those years ago when they were just children.

In the front, Maddie glanced back and smiled at seeing her son enjoying himself, though she also felt slightly concerned. Not because he was having fun, of course, but just because he'd gone from being rather quiet (which she suspected came from having only acquaintances, not friends) to being much more expressive than before. While it was exciting, she wondered where the sudden change came from. Neither she nor Jack could pinpoint when his energy levels had spiked.

The red-headed mother was about to voice her concerns to Jack (again) when her husband announced loudly "Hey guys! We made it!"

Jazz just quietly put her book away and quickly got Danny's attention before telling him they arrived at their destination. The ebony-haired boy only laughed to himself, mumbled an 'ok,' and put his phone and ear-buds away. He continued to quietly spin around, making faces at the air around him and stifling his laughter against his sleeve.

Jack pulled into the driveway and drove off to the side, mindful of others that may come. He and Maddie eagerly got out of the large vehicle once they parked and their two kids followed suit, getting out of the RV. Both stopped short and let their jaws hang loosely in their sockets once they saw the huge mansion they were supposed to be staying at.

"Holy. Frikkin. Crap." Danny muttered slowly. Sam and Tucker were both wide-eyed behind him as well, having not known about the place either. All they really knew was that they were supposed to be visiting Danny and Jazz's godfather, who was also hosting their parents' college reunion.

No one had told them this guy was rich.

"Dude…" Tucker started, shaking his head at the large mansion that looked like a small castle decorated in green and gold. "You are set _for life_ , my friend!"

Danny shot his friend a nasty look over his shoulder and whispered angrily "I don't even know the guy."

"But you will." Sam said, patting her friend on the shoulder but Danny felt nothing there. The ebony-haired boy rolled his eyes at the two, wishing he could mutter about the two without looking so strange in front of his parents. While he hadn't been particularly secretive about his ability (he kept hoping they would catch on), he also didn't want to look like a _complete_ lunatic. Just a partial one.

"Wow." Jazz muttered, blinking at the tall building and shrugging her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Uh-huh…" Danny agreed. The two siblings locked eyes, sharing their disbelief before their parents got their attention and called them to the front door, where they were waiting patiently. Jazz and Danny scurried after them, stopping at their sides and waiting as Jack knocked on the door. It didn't take long for the door to open, revealing the man with long, silver hair tied back in a ponytail that had answered.

"Jack, Maddie!" The teenagers' godfather (or they assumed he was their godfather) greeted before giving Jack a strong handshake and Maddie a dainty hug as the two gave their own greetings. After, the man turned his sites on the two's children standing awkwardly to the side. He gave them a smile that was meant to disperse their nervousness but only made them feel it more.

Maddie put her hand on Danny's shoulder, smiling. "Vlad, these are our children, Jazz and Danny."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The older of the two said, shaking the man's hand and giving a small smile.

The silver-haired man nodded his head and greeted, "Likewise."

Turning to the ebony-haired boy standing off to the side, the man hesitated while looking him and the air around him over. However, Vlad continued to smile and Danny took the outstretched and shook it nervously. "Hello Daniel."

"Hi." Danny blatantly said before his hand was released and he stuffed it into his pocket. Sam and Tucker were close at his side, giving him little personal space to work with. However, he ignored the two spirits and continued smiling at his godfather nervously, hoping he would look away at some point so he could drop it.

Fortunately, Vlad looked to the two parents and invited the family inside. The three began chatting as Danny and Jazz followed them inside, planning to the get their scarce luggage later. Sam and Tucker continued to stay close to Danny's side, obviously wanting to say something but not wanting Danny to look like a loon (for once) when he started talking to the air around him.

Noticing their obvious unease, Danny dropped back and pretended to be interested in the decorations around the large front room and hallways Vlad led them down. As they began dropping back from the group, Sam went ahead and said "Dude, something tells me that guy knows we're here. And that terrifies me."

The living teen rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at a signed football, trying to pretend to be interested in it. "Guys, so far, I'm the only one that has ever seen you or known you were around in the first place. I highly doubt because his stare lingered a little longer on me means he knows you're here. For all we know, he's just a pedophile."

Sam instantly turned to her exasperated cocoa-skinned friend, grabbed his shoulders, and shook the other ghost. "I love that he finds it easier to assume the guy's a pedophile and not another medium or psychic of some kind! What kind of person are we raising this boy to be, Tuck?! Huh?! Where did we go wrong?!"

Danny rolled his eyes, still facing the stupid football. He whispered "You guys aren't raising me _at all_."

Tucker grabbed his friend's arms to make her stop shaking her before pushing her away, keeping her at arm's length. Once that was taken care of, Tucker patted Sam's head, making her glare at him, before the ghost took to Danny's side and leaned against his shoulder; Danny still felt nothing. "Come on, man. You know something weird is up with that guy. At least be careful for us, ok?"

The ebony-haired teenager sighed and muttered "I will."

"What was that now?"

"Hm." Danny mumbled, surprised as he looked up and saw Vlad was standing only a few feet away. He was giving the younger male a curious look with his hands clasped behind his back. Danny, having had to recover from many other situations similar to this one, only smiled and waved off the concern the other was showing while the two ghosts panicked behind him. "Oh, sorry, nothing. I was talking to myself again. It's a bad habit of mine. I was just saying I needed to get a report done soon."

"Oh, he's good." Sam mumbled, shaking at her easy-going, living friend and crossing her arms over her chest. Beside her, Tucker clapped sarcastically.

Vlad only smirked in amusement before choosing to stand beside Danny and look over the football himself. Danny continued to pretend to be interested, something the older man caught on to. "Do you have an interest in football?"

"Oh yeah." Danny lied. On the inside, he was roaring with laughter and screaming ' _HAHA, NOT. AT. ALL~._ ' Sam and Tucker were cracking up behind him, knowing all of his time was usually spent with them doing something stupid or curiously finding out more about, what Danny called, his 'so-called gift.'

Vlad seemed amused by something but the teen didn't ask to find out what. The rich man beside Danny asked "Who's your favorite team?"

… _oh snap_.

"Uh…" Danny muttered quietly, scrambling to remember one team or another. He didn't care which one he chose; he just needed one. "The, eh, uh, Jaguars. Where are my parents and Jazz?"

Vlad gestured for the boy to follow him, ignoring how quickly the teen changed the subject, and began walking down the hall. Danny wandered behind him, sticking close so he wouldn't be lost in the large mansion. The walk was quiet and Vlad showed Danny to a huge bedroom and informed the younger male his parents were right across the hall and Jazz was in the room next to his. As Danny nodded and slipped into his room, Vlad said "I hope you and your friends enjoy your stay."

"Thanks." Danny said before being screamed at by the other the two ghosts. Startled, he registered what Vlad said before turning back to his godfather with his face scrunched up into fake confusion and asked, "Friends?"

Vlad's smirk was still playing on his lips. "Did I say 'friends'? My bad."

"HE KNOWS." The two ghosts yelled, hiding their face in their hands and groaning. They both trudged into the bedroom, preferring to stay out of the next few minutes of talking than listening in like they usually did.

Danny finally accepted Vlad's knowledge of his two friends and leveled his stare, telling the older in his own little way that, yes, he understood what the other was implying and, no, he did not care the older knew. His friends were his friends. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure. I think everything we'll be fine though, just so long as nothing happens to _us_."

Vlad nodded at the small stressor Danny put on the last word before walking off down the hall, his amused smile still placed firmly on his face. The teen watched for a moment before retreating into his room and closing the door behind him. Turning around to face his two friends, Danny asked "So what if he knows about you guys? What's the big deal?"

"He creeps us out, man!" Tucker immediately said, giving his friend a bewildered look.

Danny shrugged it off and replied, "Dude, he seems like a lonely guy. If it weren't for you two, I'd probably act a lot like him if I were his age and had little to no close friends. We all know I'm socially awkward. For all we know, this guy's the same way."

Sam and Tucker mulled over the idea before nodding their heads. Danny nodded with them before the trio was enveloped in silence.

"…but his smile is kind of creepy."

"WE KNEW IT! HAHA, IN YOUR FACE, YOU SOCIALLY AWKWARD TEENAGER!"

For the rest of the day, Danny hung out with his family and host or stayed in his room and talked with his two ghostly friends. While hanging out with his family and godfather, the teen caught a glimpse of another ghost roaming the hallways but no opportune time presented itself to go and talk to the other. It irked him but he also didn't want to get yelled at for 'snooping.'

The bed Danny slept in that night was simply glorious and he did not want to leave his majestic bed the next morning. Only after a laughing fit that was caused by his two friends using the word 'bushwhack' in the wrong context could Danny leave his temporary bed with no regrets.

The next day was mostly spent with Jazz as they hung out and wandered the mansion, getting lost within its hall multiple times. The teen eagerly let loose and talked to his two friends in front of his sister, who did not care Danny was talking to invisible people so long as he explained what they were saying when it concerned her.

As it drew closer to evening though, the two had to go their rooms and get dressed for the reunion taking place that night. Once they were all set and looked nice, Vlad led them to a large ballroom where a few people were already gathered and talking with their parents. Everyone said their greetings and began mingling as more people began appearing through the doors.

Danny slipped away when his parents finally became enveloped with their old classmates enough to not notice him. He chose to stand by a window and watch everything go down, occasionally judging people with his friends and laughing under his breath at the creative and colorful comments they were making up in quick succession.

When conversation died between the trio and they merely watched the adults talk amongst each other, Sam mumbled something about the other ghost wandering close to where they were. Danny only groaned at his terrible ghost sense before sneaking out of the ballroom and focusing on his ghost sense, showing him the direction of the other ghost roaming the halls.

It took some time but the trio finally found the ghost in the kitchen and Danny had to duck behind the door to hide his laughter. Having only caught glimpses of the spirit before, he hadn't realized how ridiculous the other looked with a scepter of ice-cream and a large cheese-block thing under a tiny crown. He had only really caught the red robe he wore as he drifted around. Even Sam and Tucker couldn't help their mirth.

After they had calmed down, they reentered the kitchen and Danny called "Hey. What's your name?"

The elderly old man dressed as a cheese king (?) turned to where Danny's voice originated and saw the three teenagers staring down at him with smiles plastered on their faces. Sam and Tucker were dressed much more casually than Danny was in his tux, although he had loosened the tie around his neck. Seeing as one of the teens was human and the other two were ghosts, he was rather surprised to see them staring at him. "Are you talking to me?"

The trio looked between them before turning back to the senior. Tucker drawled, "Uh… Yeah. There's no one else who we could talk to in the kitchen. Everyone is currently in the ballroom, pretending to have missed their old college buddies when they really could care less."

"But… You're a…" The elderly stumbled, pointing at Danny with a shocked expression.

The teen beamed reassuringly before giving the older man two thumbs up. "Alive? Yeah, I know. I'm what people call 'special' though. I can see ghosts. Typically, I help them move on. These two refuse to go though so they just hang around. So… What's your name? I'm Danny."

"I'm Tucker." The cocoa-skinned ghost greeted, waving.

"And I'm Sam." The female spirit said, also waving while smiling.

For a moment, the elderly ghost didn't seem to know how to react to the happy and strange teenagers before his face broke into a smile. "You can all just call me the Dairy King."

Keeping their laughter from bubbling into their throats at the rather hilarious title, the trio nodded and continued smiling sweetly. Once they stopped, Danny eased his grin into something real and asked "So why are you hanging around the mansion, huh? Wouldn't it be better for you to go through the ghost portal?"

The Dairy King sighed, waved off Danny's question, and merely said "Oh, it's a long story, boy. You lot probably don't want to hear a tale from an old-timer like me."

The trio glanced between themselves and the two spirits eagerly hopped onto one of the bar-stools surrounding the island in the center of the kitchen while Danny went to the refrigerator, opened the freezer door, and grabbed an entire pint of mint chocolate-chip ice-cream. He looked through all the drawers before finding a spoon and sitting beside his friends on another bar-stool. As Danny popped the top of the ice-cream off and stabbed the delicious treat with his spoon, all of them looked to the Dairy King with curious smiles. Sam asked, "Will you tell us the story?"

The Dairy King brightened immeasurably at the trio before hopping onto a bar-stool across from them. He eagerly delved into the story, giving them detailed descriptions and stringing them along with suspense. Sam and Tucker were continually leaning forward, towards the older man, while Danny listened with tangible interest as he absently spooned ice-cream into his mouth.

By the end of the story, the trio understood why the Dairy King continued to stick around. He was very much connected to the old castle-like mansion and didn't have the heart to leave it quite yet. It hurt even more to see Vlad change it quite a bit from its original state, though the mansion was in much better state than it had ever been.

Danny did a fine job at consoling the elderly man, convincing him that the old mansion, though changed, would always be _his_ castle. The Dairy King had built the place way-back-when and a part of him would always remain in the structure. After-all, it wasn't like Vlad could change the bones of the old place. That would always remain the same.

Now content, the Dairy King smiled peacefully before looking at the trio gratefully. "Thank you for that, Youngster. But if you don't mind, I would like to stay just a little bit longer."

Danny shrugged and Tucker said, "We certainly don't care. You can leave whenever it suits you, as long as you leave someday."

Sam smiled and continued, "And since you're not leaving quite yet, you think you could regale us with more fascinating tales, Mr. Dairy King Sir?"

"Of course!" The senior said before continuing on with other stories that kept his audience captivated. As they listened to the Dairy King tell all the stories he had, the trio wondered why the older man in front of them couldn't have been Danny's history teacher. The one he had now could be such a drag and pretty much lulled the teenagers' to sleep with his long, drawn-out speeches.

By the time the Dairy King became fresh-out of stories, they noticed he seemed much more content than even after Danny had consoled the older man about his home. The trio smiled when they realized he was probably ready to move on and they were not surprised to hear him say, "Well, kiddos, I think it's time for me to go to the next plane now."

They grinned and Danny said, "Alright. It was awesome taking to you!"

"Rest in peace, dude." Tucker said, waving to the older man.

"We hope to see you whenever we pass over." Sam said, also waving with her cocoa-skinned friend.

The Dairy King smiled, more than pleased at the concept, and then seemed to evaporate into the air. The trio sighed contently once he was gone before they all seemed drawn to looking at the carton of ice-cream sitting in front of Danny with the spoon sitting beside it, licked clean of any of the green-colored treat.

The carton was empty.

"You ate the entire thing?!" Tucker yelled, looking between the boy that had eaten the ice-cream and the empty carton still covered in melted green liquid on the sides and bottom. His turquoise eyes were wide in shock and his mouth was hanging from his jaw loosely as his head continued to whip back and forth.

Sam and Danny continued to stare just at the empty carton with slack jaws and wide eyes. One was staring in horror at what he had done and the other was just plain surprised Danny had managed to eat every last bite.

"You are going to be so sick later." The girl commented, earning a nod from her ebony-haired friend before he groaned and rested his head against the counter.

Tucker patted his friend's back before saying, "Alright. You're on your own tonight. I am not watching you vomit. If you need me for anything else, I'll be in the other room next to yours. Night-night!"

"I'm with him. See you in the morning." Sam said, patting the boy's head before she and the other spirit disappeared, leaving Danny to bask in his misery by himself. The teen stayed there for a good while, just resting his head against the counter. The only consolation was that he condemned himself to the bathroom for the night while having a good time and helping a ghost move on. It made him feel slightly nostalgic.

"I don't sense the older ghost anymore. Did you help him move on?"

Danny sat up when he heard the voice and nodded to the space in front of him, not turning around to face his godfather. "Yeah. He moved on a little while ago. Just a word of advice for the next time you move: if you know a ghost is in the house, it'd probably be a good idea to get a medium that can communicate with them before moving in and changing the place up. Just saying."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy but saved the advice for later use. "Hm. I'm impressed."

"Oh yeah. Why is that?"

"I haven't come across another medium that could communicate with the spirits as clearly as you have. You must have a very sensitive ability." Vlad explained, keeping his hands carefully clasped behind his back.

Danny looked over his shoulder with a smile. "As my friend Tucker likes to say, my ability to sense ghosts is shot to hell. I see them and hear them; not feel them in the air or any of the other ways to sense them. I mean, I can but it's just so faint I don't notice it most of the time. Typically, I don't know a spirit is a spirit until _after_ I start talking to them in public and everyone stares at me like I'm a loon. Fun times."

Vlad raised his eyebrows, most likely in surprise, but he didn't question the others ability. "That's a very rare talent you have."

"So I've been told." Danny said, tapping the spoon in front of and listening to it _cling_ briefly before falling silent again. He wanted to say something but didn't know what words to speak. Fortunately, Vlad liked to ask questions.

"Are your parents aware of your ability?"

"When I was younger, yes. They got me into some serious trouble when I was four. They thought I grew out of it though. I don't particularly like talking about my ability. It sounds cool in my head but when I try explaining it, it sounds stupid." Danny shrugged, thinking about the times he tried talking about it before dropping the subject.

"When will you tell them?" Vlad asked curiously.

Danny shrugged again. "Not sure."

The teen's godfather was quiet for a while before he walked over to stand beside the younger male and lean against the counter. "Well, if you ever feel like you have to, you can always come talk to me about it. I may not understand everything since I can only sense but I will listen."

The ebony-haired boy smiled, looked over at the older male, and said "Thanks."

Vlad smiled back and replied, "You're welcome."

The two stayed quiet for a short time before Danny clamped Vlad on the shoulder, getting up, and saying, "Well, I'm going to go up to my room and puke my guts out because of that." Danny pointed at the empty carton. "See you in the morning."

The teen walked off, leaving Vlad to shake his head in disbelief.

* * *

 **Yeah, this is done~! It really only took me a couple of hours but whatever... Also, if you couldn't tell, the idea of Vlad being a good guy in some situations is starting to grow on me (though I will always agree his cartoon-self's everyday smile is his rape face *laughs*).**

 **Alright, I am posting this today because, on this very day one year ago, I joined FF and posted my first story. It's been an amazing experience since and HOLY CRAP, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE? IT'S ONLY BEEN A YEAR BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S BEEN A LIFETIME. CRAP. I'LL BE FIFTEEN NEXT MONTH. *hides face in hands***

 **On another note, guess what I'm doing soon? Moving! Again! For the third time in three months and the ninth time in three years! Guess who's thrilled? Not me! The only consolation is that it's a local move so I won't be crossing state-lines. *thumbs up***


	7. Gotham City

Ch.7: Gotham City

Danny pressed his lips into a frown and waved stupidly as he watched the principal of Gotham Academy drive away after giving a hurried explanation of what was going on. Seeing as the woman wasn't waving back or paying attention to him at all, Danny let his hand drop from the air and rest at his side loosely. Not turning to his two friends, Danny said, "Well, that was awkward."

Tucker, leaning against the truck behind Danny with Sam beside him, raised his hands to show an inch between his fingers. He mouthed 'just a little' at his living friend with a sarcastic smile.

With a roll of his eyes, Danny turned to the passenger door in the back of the truck, opened it, and grabbed the cat carrier. The creatures were oddly quiet inside while Danny shut the door and began trekking for the school doors, Lock and Firecracker standing in front of them impatiently. Sam and Tucker joined his sides as he walked past him and fell in step with his strides, despite their varying height differences.

"So jocks, cheerleaders, and the rich kids are _typically_ the ones bothered by the supposed spirit. If I remember correctly from my high-school days, they are the most hated and most respected students of the entire school. Anyone else think we have a revenge seeker on our hands?" Danny asked, walking up the few steps to the front doors. The two dogs slipped inside, Sam and Tucker following behind, while Danny walked through after opening one of the doors.

As the medium set down the cat carrier and released the felines, Sam crossed her arms, watched, and hummed in obvious disagreement. "I don't think so, Danny. I mean, he or she has also lashed out at regular students that are part of the 'lower class' of high school, most of which don't even bother with sports events involving the preps. Where's the sense in that?"

"She has a point, D." Tucker said, pointing at their female friend and looking down at the medium with a pointed look.

As Danny got up from the ground and watched as the two cats scurried off with the dogs sprinting ahead, he glanced between his two friends while putting his hands on his hips. He rolled the idea around in his head before nodding towards Sam, showing he got the gist of what she was saying and agreeing with her. Continuing to look between the two, Danny asked, "So what do we have on our hands then? A mischief maker that prefers preps but will get a high off of anybody, if need be?"

Sam and Tucker shrugged at him, not too sure themselves. Frowning, Danny sighed and scanned the long hallway in front of him, various openings in the walls that led throughout the entire building. Blue lockers lined the walls; doors were shut in-between the lockers. Only a few lights in the hallways were on, allowing Danny to see without a flashlight as the sun set in the west. The classrooms were dark.

"Alright, how are we doing this?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. The dark-skinned boy crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at his friend expectantly.

Danny shrugged, cracking a small grin. "How 'bout we split up to cover more ground? And you all don't have to worry because, as far as we know, there's no homicidal ghost that will try to strangle me. Is that ok with you two?"

The two spirits gave their living friend dry glares while he continued to grin, not a care in the world. The two glanced at each other before Sam said, "The fact you can refer to that incident so casually like nothing actually happened is really concerning. We hope you know that."

Danny only grinned further, walked away, and began waltzing down the hall while shooting a peace sign over his shoulder. He said, "I'm aware! See you all later!"

As soon as he was far away, Danny breathed a sigh of relief at getting away from his friends. Ever since St. Dymphna's, the two had become very over-protective, which was both endearing and extremely annoying. The ebony-haired man loved the two to death but it hadn't been the first time he had his life threatened, nor would it be his last. Hostile ghosts came with the job.

Wandering around the building aimlessly, Danny called for the resident ghost that haunted the halls. The medium occasionally ran into his pets and friends, briefly stopping his search to acknowledge the other and report whatever he had come across (which, ninety-nine percent of the time, was _nothing_ ). Sam and Tucker gave him a couple of pointers on where the ghost's aura was before they parted ways.

Danny sighed as he opened the doors to the large gym and entered. Looking around, he saw nothing but empty bleachers, darkened score-boards, and still basketball hoops hanging from the ceiling. All the lights were off and what little light there was came from the moonlight falling through the windows and the artificial light slipping through the windows in the door behind him, shining in from the hallway. Frowning, Danny called, "Anyone in here?! I just wanna talk!"

His voice bounced off the walls with no answer from any other and Danny found himself sighing again. It had been a few hours already and there were no signs of any specter within the walls of the building. The medium was beginning to think the school just had a lot of freak accidents and a good population of the city's klutzes. Whatever aura Sam and Tucker felt must have been something else.

Walking to the side, Danny grabbed a basketball from a stationary rack and bounced it against the ground as he slowly walked over to one of the hoops. In-between the two and one point lines, Danny tossed it into the air and listened to the ball _crack_ against the rim of the hoop before bouncing off and to the side. Patiently, the medium wandered after it and gathered it up.

Danny stayed in the gym for the longest time, tossing hoops and missing the basket. Occasionally, the ebony-haired male managed to get a few in now and then. He found himself laughing at some of his most epic fails before he chased the ball to wherever it rolled off to, gathered it up, and shot again. Most of the time it missed but, even when he made it, Danny had to chase the ball anyways.

Sometime around the fifteen minute mark of playing around on the job, Danny felt a twinge in his gut but it was easily ignored. Only when the twinge continued to shift (though, in no way, was the feeling strong) did he stop in the middle of the gym and look around curiously. There were no sounds of anything but that didn't mean anything. "Is anyone there? Any ghosts? Any prick-ish friends that love to mess with me?"

Once again, there was nothing. Danny concluded it wasn't his friends though. They would've started laughing their heads off at his last prod.

Danny absently dribbled the ball a few times before holding it still again in his hands. With a frown, the blue-eyed man continued to scan his darkened surroundings while rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh. The basketball rested on his hip lightly, held there by his free hand. He called again, "Hey, I can't hurt ya and I know you're there. Why not come out and talk to me, huh? It must get pretty lonely here when you're all by yourself with no one to talk to."

"You get used to it after awhile."

Danny gasped, dropped the ball, and spun on his heels. His blue eyes fell on a teenage boy around fourteen or fifteen with short, black hair and sad, grey eyes. Adorning his face were wide, wire-frame glasses and freckles spotting his cheeks. His blue, sleeved t-shirt was fading to grey, a pocket-protector on his chest and a bow-tie strapped around his throat loosely. He also had grey, tweed-style pants and black shoes, completing the 'geek look.'

The ghost raised an eyebrow at the start Danny had and stated, "I thought you said you knew I was here."

A small smile twitched at Danny's lips as he reached up to rub his tired eyes. He let his hands linger there for a moment before dropping them to his sides and shaking his head at the smaller form. "I knew you were in the area. I just couldn't pinpoint where exactly. The part of my brain that's supposed to be able to do that is broken."

The young ghost's frown began twitching up, much like Danny's was doing.

"Although, I have to say, I am a bit surprised. Most ghosts question my ability to see them when we first meet. How come you're not?" The medium asked, smiling at the ghost encouragingly as he bent down to pick up the basketball that had stopped bouncing a few paces away from him. As he stood straight again, Danny replaced the ball on his hip.

The black-haired boy shrugged at the older male casually. "Oh, that was answered a long time ago. You brought a bunch of other ghosts to the school and talked to them when you entered. It didn't take much brain-power to figure out once seeing that spectacle."

Danny chuckled and found himself feeling a little bit stupid. He let it go, though, seeing as there was nothing he could do to make himself look any better. "Why didn't you come out earlier if you saw us all that time ago? We came all this way for you."

The ghost seemed like he didn't believe Danny's last comment, shaking his head at the notion, but answered the question, nonetheless. "You were deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb you. I'm not particularly fond of animals. The goth girl is rather intimidating and the other man is obnoxiously loud."

Danny slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the laughter that had started to tumble out. The teen raised an eyebrow at the man's obvious amusement and asked, "That was funny?"

"That was _hysterical_." Danny corrected through his quiet mirth, shaking his head. He let out a content sigh before gesturing for the boy to follow him as Danny turned around, heading for the bleachers. The teen followed behind the man quietly and sat a few seats from the medium awkwardly as the older, black-haired male set the basketball on the ground in front of him. His nervousness was dispersed when Danny smiled kindly at him. "What's your name, kid? I'm Danny."

"I'm Sidney." The black-haired boy said, smiling and shrugging. Curiously, he studied Danny's face. "Why are you here?"

The medium smiled sadly at Sidney, suddenly remembering all the accidents that had happened in quick succession of each other. No one, as of yet, had been seriously hurt but the brutality was quickly picking up speed. It was only a matter of time before someone took on some serious damage. "I was called in by the principal of the school, Sidney. She's worried about all the accidents that keep happening to the students. Do you have anything to do with that?"

The teen's face quickly morphed into anger, which surprised Danny. He had been expecting anything but rage. The medium kept his face steadily neutral, though a part of him was fearful that Sidney would lash out.

"They deserved it." Sidney stated harshly, glaring sharply at the older male. Danny widened his eyes and shifted nervously, trying his best to make sure he didn't show too much emotion on his face. He wasn't sure what would make the young boy angry any further and didn't want to be on the receiving end of a slap.

"Why do they deserve it?"

"Because they all bully the other kids! It's not fair! They're so much stronger and they think it's ok to hurt others! And I can't stand watching the other kids get hurt so I help them by getting back at the bullies and standing up for them!" Sidney stated seriously, still glaring at Danny but the man was beginning to realize the anger wasn't directed at him.

The medium's expression sunk and softened, sitting straighter in his seat. "Alright Sidney, we need to talk about this."

"What's there to talk about?!"

"You can't keep beating up the bullies."

"Why not?! They deserve it and no one will stand up to them!"

"Sidney, you're dead. Your 'standing up' is just getting passed off as freak accidents. No one understands you're on a campaign. You're not really helping." Danny said bluntly, frowning at the boy.

The black-haired teen glared at the adult. "Are you siding with the bullies?!"

"Are you kidding me?! _God no!_ I was bullied for most of my life! I'm just saying that your way of fighting bullies isn't helping. The kids here need to stand up for themselves or go to a teacher." Danny explained gently, giving the teen beside him a sad look while turning to face him more fully. The man took a deep breath after his speech.

Sidney continued to glare. "Teachers don't work."

Danny gave a ruthful smile, shaking his head. "I know that all too well. Some bullies will back-down with the thought of trouble lingering though. Others won't. When you come across those people, I'm all for sticking up for yourself and telling them off. If that doesn't work, I hope you punch the guy in the face because he deserves it."

Sidney sobered and frowned. "But I can't do that. I can't even tell anyone anything."

The medium continued to give that sad smile. "I know but I promise I'll tell others about the problem, alright?"

The teen thought over it for a moment before nodding and giving a small smile. Danny brightened and leaned back in his seat, pleased with himself and the conversation that had transpired. "Good. Besides, this place isn't meant for someone like you. You should move on into the next life, Sidney."

The ghost lifted his eyes and asked, "That's it?"

"What's it?"

"That's all you have to talk about with me? You have no other questions?"

Danny's grin became laced with confusion as he tilted his head to the side. "'Other questions?' Is there something you want me to ask you? You know you can tell me anything. I'm not in any place to judge."

Sidney just shrugged in response. "I just thought you might move onto the typical questions. You know, things like 'how did you die?' and 'did you die here?' and other stupid stuff ghost-hunters like to ask. Or, at least, that's the vibe I got off of watching one of the other student's phones."

The medium laughed. "Ha-ha, no! I don't ask those kinds of questions. It's really insensitive and, when I was six, I did ask someone how they died and they slapped me. I will never, ever ask those sorts of questions again. I'm just here to help you move on."

Sidney smiled brightly at Danny's words before he said, "Thanks Danny."

"Anytime Sidney." Danny said. He barely got the words out before Sidney faded away like a dream in front of him. The man smiled before getting up, grabbing the ball off the ground, and replacing it on the rack on the other side of the gym. He wandered around the school, calling for his friends and pets. Getting the cats was, honestly, the hardest part but they managed to do it in record time.

Once Danny had gathered everyone up, he loaded the animals in the car while idly chatting to Sam and Tucker about an old TV show they used to watch. The medium yelled a startled 'what?!' when both ghosts jumped and shrieked a little at something behind him. He spun around and shrieked a little himself when he saw the Dark Knight of Gotham watching him silently, only a few feet away. In response, Batman only cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry…" Danny mumbled, shrugging and chuckling nervously.

The Caped Crusader didn't acknowledge what the male said as his eyes flickered over to the school. They were back on Danny a second later. "You're here on a job."

Danny knew it wasn't a question but he nodded anyways.

"How'd it go?"

The medium shrugged, forcing himself to quell the panic in the pit of his stomach. Danny forced a smile on his face to seem friendly, ignoring just _who_ the person in front of him was. "Oh, it was fine. It was just a teenager with a vendetta against bullies. He was talked down easily, though I'm starting to get extremely depressed with the amount of kids I've been dealing with lately…"

Batman ignored the last comment, asking "Bullies?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, bullies. Every school has them. It's one of those unavoidable facts of life you have to deal with. I plan on talking to the principal about it in the morning, as I did promise Sidney."

"Sidney?" Batman questioned.

The ebony-haired male found himself rolling his eyes with Sam and Tucker snickering behind him. Batman either didn't see the silent sass Danny gave him or he didn't care. Either way, the Dark Knight didn't make a move when the medium patiently said, "Yeah. Sidney. It's the name of the kid. He looked like he had walked straight out of a 50s movie, wire-frame glasses and all."

"Aw, he sounds so cute." Sam mused, smiling in the dark. Tucker snorted beside her, shaking his head as he muttered 'chicks.'

Batman was eerily silent and Danny asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes."

"You still suspicious of me?"

"I'm suspicious of a lot of things."

Danny smiled in the dark and snorted, shaking his head. "That's fine with me. I could care less in what you believe in, whether it's magic, God, or nothing at all. I just happen to believe in ghosts and help them move on." Danny's grin widened. "OOO, one day, when you die, I could totally end up helping you move on!"

Batman was not amused.

Still grinning, Danny shrugged and said, "No? Too much?"

As the medium was blinking, Batman disappeared just as quickly and retreated into the shadows of Gotham. Danny shrugged to the air and got in his car, ready to head back to the hotel while Sam and Tucker climbed into their respected seats.

The two ghosts leaned close to Danny, who was smiling nervously as he turned the ignition and buckled in his seatbelt. Not being able to resist after what Danny had just said, Tucker stated, "D, you sounded like a total nut back there."

"I can't help it! Batman's terrifying and makes me nervous!"

* * *

 **I swear, Sidney has got to be the cutest villain Danny has ever fought and he's so sad. I love him so much. T.T On another note, I was going to do a different x-over but then I started realizing 90% of the TV shows I watch are cop shows and the other 10% can't be done because of the universe I already have set up with the Teen Titans and the Justice League. ...so we're probably just gonna visit a bunch of superheroes in the future with a horror chapter thrown in here and there. Fun! :D**

 **Alright, now for the main point of posting this... I have a poll set up on my profile. If you would be so kind as to check it out and vote, it would be much appreciated. The poll will close on Sunday and results may or may not be published on Monday (it depends on which option wins). Thanks so much to anyone who votes!**

 **For the people who care on my activity: I will _most likely_ be continuing The Exception to the Reid Effect and am currently making a story called 'Agents of the GIW.' Hopefully, I will be able to make a plot for it and post it sometime soon. Any-who, hope you enjoyed the update! **


	8. Eternal Haunts

**Alright, before you begin reading this, take everything you know about this fic...and chuck it out the nearest window. Why? BECASUE THIS IN AN AU OF MY AU. No one should be surprised! *facepalm***

 **WARNING: A FEW HORROR THEMES AHEAD. (Themes, not the entire chapter.)**

* * *

Ch.8: Eternal Haunts

Lying on the bed, little Danny curled around his beloved stuffed husky, Basket. His head rested peacefully on the plush animal's large, drooping ears as the worn, dusty object lay in its usual spot. His black hair was a mess over his burnt and bloodied forehead and he sniffed occasionally, still trying to breathe through his clogged windpipe, even though it'd been a long time since he'd ever needed to. His oversized, fluffy blue sweater was falling off his left shoulder and his jeans were ripped and blackened at the ends, as always. His pale, clammy hands were balled into little fists around the ends of his sweater. Blue eyes were tired and droopy and, even though it'd been a very long time since he last slept, Danny couldn't sleep.

The room around him was messy and disorganized and covered in a layer of dust. Stuffed toys, Legos, and Matchbox cars lay in complete disarray across the floor. There were a couple of different shirts lying on top of the dresser in a nice stack, though the articles of clothing were rumpled and wrinkled. Posters of rockets, kiddy bands, and favorite TV shows were tacked along the walls covered in dull, blue paint that was flaking. The bed was completely undone with the blue sheets with red and yellow rocket ships moved towards the middle of the large bed. The pillow covered with stars was scrunched and on its side, a faint imprint of a head still pressed against it.

It looked like the typical kid's messy bedroom, minus the dust. The only thing amiss was the atmosphere. Instead of joyful and childish, everything cast off an air of neglect and sorrow. It didn't help that the child lying on the bed seemed sad, tired, and completely drained of energy.

Danny sighed, stroking the top of his stuffed animal's head gently and lovingly. None of the matted pieces of fur under the child's fingers stirred at his touch but that didn't matter to the small boy. Danny stared sullenly but lovingly at the plushy, studying its stitched smile and scratched button eyes for the thousandth time in who-knew-how-long. To the young four-year-old, it eternally looked like the plushy was doing its best to try and cheer him up, though it never could, no matter how much it smiled encouragingly at him.

Basket was Danny's only friend. He wasn't making him feel very happy at the moment though, even though he was trying. Sometimes, the toy could make Danny smile and laugh like a normal child. Other times, Danny _hated_ Basket and he _hated_ the way he smiled at him every single moment of the day and he _hated_ its button eyes and he just _hated_ every single detail from its grey fur to a few silver stitches that were off from the rest of the shades of grey across the husky. At those times, Danny would scream and cry and try to make Basket frown but, even though every hurtful thing Danny could think of came out of his mouth, Basket never frowned. He always just smiled.

After he said every mean, Danny always felt terrible. He'd hug his favorite toy to his chest and cry, begging the inanimate object for forgiveness. Danny asked Basket never to leave him, no matter how times he got angry and said things he didn't mean. Danny always promised that he'd never say such things to the toy again, even though he knew he was lying because he broke his promise every time. It was a terrible, vicious cycle Danny went through but it never ceased to miss an opportunity to disrupt his small, practically nonexistent routine he'd adopted over the time he'd been here.

And, still, Basket would smile, promising he'd stay for as long as he was needed. Even if bugs ate at his fluffy flesh and decay tore at his once beautiful fur, Basket stayed in the house with Danny, keeping him company and always trying to make everything a little better than it was. Everything to the toy was wonderful, even bad things, and that was just what little, lonely Danny needed: a friend who would never go away and never leave him alone, even if the child hurt his feelings and did mean things.

The child and the stuffed toy lay on the bed for a long time. The sunlight shining through his window shifted and changed as the day continued drearily. Shadows cast by the toys and the dusty furniture shifted, slowly making long arcs across the room before shortening as the day dwindled away and nothing happened for Danny. He just lay silently on the bed, staring off into a bleak nothingness that seemed to surround him around the clock. His blue eyes blinked occasionally but it did nothing to snap him out of his stupor.

As the sun began setting, the sounds of three car-doors shutting with loud _bangs!_ shocked Danny from his quiet, drifting thoughts. Sure, the sounds weren't overly unusual, not in the least, but they still managed to catch his attention by how off they were. For Danny, it took a minute to realize why the sound had caught his attention so quickly, unlike so many other drab sounds that broke the silence each and every day that he hardly registered as there. If anything, the only thing he ever really noticed anymore was the stuffed dog under him and…the other presence in the basement. But he didn't want to think about that right now.

The four-year-old focused on the sound that had been much closer than it usually was.

Sitting up, Danny looked out his open bedroom door and blinked his blue eyes slowly, watching as the blurry scenery around him faded into focus in front of him. He tilted his head to the side for a moment, listening for any other sounds but finding none. His hand stayed on top of Basket's head for comfort, even though nothing seemed to be out of place. The sounds had come and gone, fading away quickly into the wind like they hadn't been there at all.

"…" Danny tilted his head to the side before he slowly scooted to the edge of the bed, letting his feet droop over the side. With a small push, Danny grunted as his body slipped off the mattress and his feet landed silently on the ground. Danny turned around before he left, looking back over the side so he could stare at Basket, who stared blankly at the wall. The four-year-old assured, "I'll be right back, Basket. I'm just going to make sure everything's ok. I just wanna make sure _he_ hasn't come out of the basement, ok?"

Though the toy made no sound, Danny smiled at Basket and nodded, as if the large creature had spoken a form of consent. Jumping onto the side a little, Danny reached out and patted the creature's head thankfully, saying, "Be right back, Basket. Don't go anywhere!"

Turning towards the doorway, Danny jogged out of it on his small legs and hummed a nursery rhyme to hide his fear and exude casualness, despite the fact nobody was around to see him and his anxiousness.

Danny's room was at the end of the hall on the second floor. He skipped down the long corridor, passing the doors to all sorts of rooms. One looked like it had been inhabited by a couple at some point and another looked like a little girl had resided inside. There were a few closets and a bathroom as well, though they, too, were filled with dust and bugs as everything lay untouched by the world and time, stuck in a constant standstill that even seemed to have the small child caught in its hold.

The wood under the child's feet never made a sound as he skipped and walked, though it probably should've. His blue eyes stared at the floor as he pretended there were uneven squares drawn in chalk under his feet, a different number in each four-sided shape. Danny sang the numbers from one to ten aloud, though his voice didn't echo off the walls back to him, before he sang the numbers backwards as he continued down the hallway. Again and again, he sang to the sequence of numbers back and forth, up and down, until he finally came to the railing at the end of the hall, a set of stairs beside it. Danny skipped up to the faded white posts and looked through the bars, grasping them loosely in his hands.

While everything on the second floor was homey but caught in time, what could be seen of the first floor was an entirely different story.

Much like Danny's ash-smeared face, charred clothing, and burnt hair, it seemed the entire first floor of the building had been enveloped in flames at one point in time. Everything was blackened and some objects had been long since disintegrated. Ash coated the floor and clung desperately to the walls while cement poked through where all the paint had peeled or been burned away. Part of the ceiling and collapsed furniture lay in haphazard piles everywhere, making the floor a danger zone for the clumsy.

The stairs were blackened up towards the middle, the empty, dark color fading away the farther up the stairs got. The railing was missing in some parts towards the bottom and the steps were warped in other places. There was a gaping but small hole in the middle of the staircase, though one could step around it, if they so desired, though it was a mystery if the structure of the first floor would be able to hold any more weight from the untouched second floor.

From what Danny could see from his vantage point above what had been a living room, Danny could see the basement door and breathed a sigh in relief when he saw the charred, warped door was still melded perfectly in place along the doorframe, incapable of being opened. For once, it was quiet and it allowed Danny to relax for some time, though the banging and screaming would no doubt start up again soon, which would send Danny running for his room again, the farthest possible place from the basement door. There, the four-year-old would cling to Basket, tremble and shake, and wait for the worst of the storm to pass before bringing himself to do anything more.

However, there were still things Danny needed to figure out. So, carefully and silent, the four-year-old tiptoed a few steps down the stairwell, watching the basement door apprehensively for any signs from the other entity in the house. However, everything was silent and Danny crouched down on the step above the hole in the stairwell, looking out the dusty, foggy window for any signs of life outside of his home.

Though the small child couldn't really see anyone's features, there were two or three people roaming around outside, staying relatively close to a large, red blob that Danny assumed was the car he heard the slams come from. From his spot, the child could hear voices, though he couldn't make out any words through the blackened walls collapsing around him, everything cast in a soft, orange light from the setting sun.

Danny waited for the figures on the steps as they did things around the car before they approached the house. Their footsteps echoed off the porch as they wandered across it, their voices clearer but still dulled through the walls. The figures approached the door, conversing as one of them took hold of the doorknob, jiggled it a little bit, and then yelped when the stubborn door suddenly flew open at enough pushing. Danny studied the tall forms as they entered, curious and excited, before all his emotions died in the pit of his stomach when he saw all the various equipment in their hands. Getting up, Danny paused as he watched the basement door for signs of life before rushing up the stairs when nothing happened.

After climbing the staircase, Danny raced down the hallway silently and stopped in his doorframe, looking at his bed. Basket lay still as death where he had left him, still grinning obliviously at the wall in front of him. Danny sighed again upon the toy before he said, "The weirdoes are back again, Basket, and I thought they were gone for good the last time! I'm going to have to go watch them again but I'll come back when they're gone, ok Basket? I'll be back soon!"

With that last reassurance, Danny turned around and took a few steps down the hallway again. He paused though, looking over his shoulder guiltily in the direction of his bedroom. Hurriedly, the child raced back to the room, swept inside, and climbed onto the bed, giving the husky a peck on the head before he jumped off the mattress again, quickly hurrying out of it again and down the hall, where he stepped down the stairs in a flash. Within a few seconds, he was on the first floor and shaking his head while he watched the three figures, two men and a woman, set up their equipment around the living room, not for the first time.

In boredom, Danny sat on the bottom steps of the staircase as he watched, propping his chin on the palm of his hand. The three figures, who Danny remembered as being called Callan, Gage, and Rose, talked casually as they set up cameras, speakers, and all sorts of other things Danny wasn't sure did what. However, whatever the devices told the three adults always had them crawling back to his house.

"Cujo!" Danny called, frowning when he grew tired and lonely of sitting on the steps alone. In a second, there were clicks against the ash-strewn floor and a dog, burnt and charred and covered in a green substance, appeared from the kitchen, panting happily and rushing towards Danny quickly. The three figures perked at the sounds of the dog wandering past them but the child hardly cared, opening his arms and embracing the large Saint Bernard lovingly. Danny squealed and, as the dog licked his face, yelled, "Cujo!"

"Did you guys hear that too?" The man with blonde hair, Callan, asked, looking at his friends with a confused expression. He was in the middle of checking one of the cameras batteries and the clicking sound had aroused him from his work, putting him on edge as the other two nodded their heads at the man, both of them frowning.

The dark-haired woman named Rose flipped a lock of her hair over her shoulder, scanning the room for any signs of life besides that of her friends. However, there was nothing. Uncertainly, Rose suggested, "It sounded like an animal's nails against the wood. It might be the ghost dog again. What was his name? Cujo?"

The dog sitting between the child's legs perked at his name, ears twitching to hear a command and eyes locking onto the woman as the rest of his body stilled. Danny rolled his eyes at the display, scratching behind the dog's ears green-stained ears as he mumbled, "They don't see you, Cujo-boy. You're only supposed to listen to me, remember?"

The Saint Bernard, however, kept his attention drawn to the woman as the team slowly went back to their work. In a few minutes, though, his attention was drawn back to Danny as they boy called his name impatiently. The hound panted again as the boy found the sweet-spot on the back of Cujo's head, causing him to melt in the boy's arms with the most content look the large canine could muster. Not even a dog-whistle would be able to draw him from the heaven that Cujo had found himself in. Danny smiled victoriously as he rubbed his cheek against his pet's ear.

After some time, the three moving around the living room were finally set-up and Gage, a male with long, brown hair, said, "Alright. The sun's pretty much down now so do you guys want to turn everything on and start the investigation already? We've all got things to do tomorrow so might as well start a little earlier than usual, right?"

"Yeah. Sure Gage." Rose replied, shrugging casually while the three of them moved around the room and turned on their equipment. Danny watched with boredom as they did, slowly petting Cujo's head as the dog rested his head in his master's lap, whining softly for more attention.

Callan, ever the leader of the group, stated into his audio-recorder, "Alright, so this investigation is starting at eight-twenty at the Fenton family house. Gage, Rose, and I are all gathered in the living room, where the most paranormal activity has taken place. Rose, as usual, is going to start off by asking questions, as she always does. Rose, you wanna take over now?"

"Sure Cal." The woman answered, looking around the room nervously as she held her own recorder. She was leaning against the wall, giving off the idea that she was relaxed when she really wasn't. After all, it was getting dark outside and the house had no lighting except for what the small team carried with them. "Alright… Danny, are you here? I thought I heard your pet dog earlier. Do you want to give us some sign that you're here?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny shook his head, though he knew it would be no use. No one could ever see him and he had yet to figure out why. Why was he invisible to everyone except Cujo and the entity in the basement, who scared him to death? Why couldn't he leave the house either, even though he seemed perfectly capable of doing such a thing? What held him back from all these things, keeping him trapped in a never-aging body inside of a decaying house day in and day out?

Sighing sadly, Danny grasped the edges of Cujo's face gently and the dog continued to pant as the child made Cujo look him in the eyes. Serious and looking for answers, Danny asked, "Cujo, why are we stuck here? Why can't anybody see us or hear us, even though we can see and hear them? I'm really tired of staying here. I want to leave."

In reply, Cujo only panted. Danny sighed and stroked his head, letting the dog's head fall back into his lap as his tail beat against the floor. Cujo whimpered, staring up at his boy comfortingly with his bloodshot eyes. The child rubbed his face on the top of Cujo's head, muttering, "Good boy, very good boy, Cujo…"

"Danny, are you here tonight?" Rose called again, looking all around the darkening room curiously for any sign of paranormal activity. However, there was none seen outright and the woman looked to where her two friends were watching the cameras and various meters intensely. Quietly, she asked, "Is anything popping up, guys?"

"Nothing so far but the night is still young." Gage replied, moving his camera slowly around the room in a full circle, looking for any heat signature or shape that was out of place. Thus far, nothing had popped up on his scanners and Danny rolled his eyes at the circling man, mumbling something under his breath about weird adults. Gage still turned and turned, however, commenting, "Besides, Danny always comes out and responds eventually. He's one of the few consistent entities we have on record."

Frowning, the child tried not to think about how right the man was. Despite every attempt at ignoring the adults, Danny always came around to investigate them eventually. He tried to make the three see him, speaking into their microphones and standing in front of their cameras in an attempt at being helped. However, the three adults always left in the end, never taking him with them, leaving Danny to wallow miserably for the next day all alone, clinging to his favorite stuffed toy or to Cujo in an attempt to ease the ache in his chest where his heart was.

However, that didn't mean Danny was overly nice to them either. He always kept his distance at first, watching and finding himself very smug when they groped around aimlessly, trying their damn hardest to find some inkling of where he was. Usually, Danny would watch from the railings on the second floor but Cujo wouldn't go up there. Momma gave the rule that Cujo should always be on the ground floor and the Saint Bernard always listened, even though Momma or Daddy hadn't been around in a long time.

Rose sighed as she looked around the room, mulling over which question to ask next. The woman contemplated, eyes darting this way and that as she searched for out of place shadows in the darkness. Just as usual, there were none and Rose apprehensively asked the air around her, "Can you please come out, Danny? We'd really appreciate it. We just want to talk again. You remember us, right?"

For the umpteenth time, Danny sighed at the questions the adults asked, saying, "How could I not? You've shown up so many times now and you always leave me behind when you're done. I wish you'd take me with you one of these days with Cujo and Basket."

The Saint Bernard licked Danny's face, getting him to laugh as the dog's tongue licked his face. Cujo, encouraged by the positive response he received from his boy, continued running his slimy, warm tongue over the child's face, standing up and placing his paws on Danny's lap. The boy laughed louder, pushing Cujo away from him and saying through giggles, "Cujo, stop it! Down, boy, down! Cujo~!"

Danny continued to laugh, enjoying the way his pet lathered him in kisses, but the moment was ruined when Callan asked his friends, "Did you guys hear that? It sounded like… _giggling_."

"Yeah, I heard it too." Gage confirmed, looking around the room and still pointing his camera at every space of wall and floor, keeping an eye out for any forms to take shape on his thermal camera.

"Are you out there, Danny?" Rose called again, scanning the room again with her eyes apprehensively.

With his mood dampened by the quick turn of events, Danny stopped laughing at Cujo's actions and pushed him off roughly. The dog wasn't harmed by the shove, though his expression did look hurt by his master's sudden sullen mood. Cujo whimpered for attention, sitting patiently at the boy's feet and tilting his head, ears perked to attention on his head. The Saint Bernard's tail twitched and thumped against the floor again, though this time it was in impatience at being ignored. Danny only had to glance at Cujo's confused expression and hear his sad whimpers once for him to throw his arms over the dog's shoulders again, on the verge of tears. "Cujo, I wanna be seen again. I hate being here."

Cujo only whimpered in reply, digging his nose into the boy's shoulder and sneezing.

Rose continued her questions, making Danny sadder and sadder with each silent pause that followed, even when the young child replied a few times in hopes of being heard. The woman always continued on, not even having heard a whisper from the wind outside. Danny felt something start to wither away inside of him, which left him clinging to Cujo as the Saint Bernard whined softly and titled his head confusedly.

At some point, Rose huffed in irritation when they continued to receive no outward response from the ghost child lingering in the house and nothing appeared on their meters or cameras. Agitated, the woman looked to her two friends and asked, "Do you guys want to call it night? We've had nothing happen besides the few sounds and I'm starting to think Danny might not be up and at it tonight. Who knows? Maybe the audio's picked something up."

"Wait, wait, wait." Callan said, holding up his hands in an attempt to calm his female friend down. There was a relaxed grin on his face, even though the three of them were hanging around in an unstable building with the possibility of ghosts hanging around with them. "It's only been two hours. Besides, from past experiences, you should know that it takes more than a few questions to bring Danny out."

Seated by the steps, the child watched the three adults' conversations from his spot with a frown. Cujo's front legs were draped across his lap as the dog rested his head over them, Danny's hands intertwined in his green-stained fur. The dog's bloodshot eyes drooped but they flew open when the little boy sighed, patted Cujo's rump, and said, "Come on, boy. Let me up. I'm bored and I wanna see what they do."

The Saint Bernard quickly got up from his spot, shaking all the looseness from his body as Danny followed him, quickly getting to his feet. The little boy walked closer to the group, standing at the edge of their semi-circle with his hands clasped in front of him. Cujo pattered behind him, huffing and panting as he weaved around Danny's legs excitedly, whining for attention again as he looked up at the slightly taller boy with a doggish smile.

"Do either of you want to sing a nursery rhyme? That's worked in the past." Callan suggested to the two adults and Danny perked at that. He loved it when the adults sang; they always waited to hear him answer, usually catching small whispers from him too. It always brightened the boy's mood. Callan was unaware to this though as he looked between his two friends, silently telling them that there was no way in hell that he was singing.

As such, Gage and Rose became locked in a battle of wills, not particularly enjoying the thought of singing either. However, Rose held out a little bit longer than Gage and the man, rolling his eyes irritably, muttered something about idiot coworkers before he called, "Hey Danny! Can you finish this song for me? All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel~!"

Gage went quiet and all the adults strained their ears to hear, even though everything was eerily quiet that night. Danny, smiling now, answered back, "The monkey thought it was all in fun~! _Pop!_ goes the weasel!"

"Whoa~!" All three adults said loudly, looking between each other excitedly. Wild, excited grins were on their faces. Gage even jumped a little; whether it was from excitement or shock, no one really knew. Rose laughed a little, obviously feeling victorious over the events that had transpired.

"Did you guys hear that?" Callan asked, despite the fact his two friends had obviously heard whatever it is that he had. "It was very faint but I think I could make out the words to the rest of the verse!"

Exasperated, Danny sighed as he shook his head, his smile fading a little bit. He didn't understand why the three were so excited; he always answered when they played this game. It never made sense why they couldn't hear him either, though that also went for not being able to see him. Sometimes, they could feel him, if he was close enough, but it wasn't very often and it was always as if he were nothing more than a passing breeze.

Why was it always like he wasn't there? He was, wasn't he? He moved things; his voice carried on the wind as a whisper. That should be proof enough, shouldn't it be?

"Alright Danny, we're glad you're here with us finally. Thank you for finishing the song. That was really good." Gage called, looking around the room curiously. Danny beamed brightly at his compliment as he stepped a little closer to the dark-haired man, pushing past Cujo, who whined and stuck his rump in the air, tail wagging. All of that went unnoticed to Gage, however. "I don't know if you were around when we asked some questions so can we ask a few more? Maybe you could answer a few, if you're up to it?"

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I don't really care anymore."

Though he answered, the three adults stayed perfectly quiet for a few more seconds, not hearing a word he had said. Danny sighed at that but ignored it, used to the feeling of being ignored. Rose spoke up a moment later, making Danny perk to attention as he listened to her ask, "Alright, so, Danny, do you remember how you ended up here? I mean, this house is pretty… creepy, isn't it? So why here?"

Eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, Danny tilted his head at the female, ignoring how Gage continued to shift and Callan watched the meters patiently. They'd asked similar questions to this one but had never stated it so bluntly. It confused him. "This is my house. Why would I be anywhere else? Besides, I need to wait for Momma and Daddy to come get me. I don't know where they went but they know I'm here."

Another pause; more waiting. Danny was patient, though he was curious what other questions the adults would ask. There weren't too many that made much sense to him but made all the difference for the investigators that were continuously invading his home. It was irritating to be so lost in the dark and sometimes he'd wish the three adults wouldn't show up anymore but he was so lonely when they didn't. He was very conflicted by the situation.

"Do you ever think about moving on, Danny?" Rose asked, scanning the room with her dark eyes, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She looked through Danny, not aware that he was standing next to her brown-haired friend, and continued on until she had looked over the entire room. Then she backtracked, searching harder.

The young boy frowned deeply, trying to understand what the woman meant by 'move on.' He'd heard the phrase- Rose had asked before –but the meaning never came to him. Danny replied, "I don't know what that means."

After a few seconds, Rose asked, "Why do you stay here? There's nothing here for you anymore, Danny."

That upset the boy. He rubbed his arm nervously, frowning as his bottom lip quivered. Tears dotted the corners of his eyes, threatening to waterfall down his sweet little face. Turning his head this and that, Danny looked around the ashy remains of the living room he'd once played superhero in. Then he grew angry and snapped, "It's my house, not yours! I belong here, not you! So why don't you just get out?!"

Gage shivered, taking one hand from his camera and rubbing his opposite arm. The other adults perked to attention, gazing at their friend curiously as he looked at the area around him. Clarifying the matter, Gage stated, "I just got this wicked chill up my arm. I don't know what any of us did to set him off but I don't think Danny's very happy with us right now. Just a hunch…"

The tears ran down the little boy's face as his lip trembled violently. He hugged his chest to soothe himself, even though he'd much prefer the comfort from another person. Cujo whined at his feet, distressed at the tidal wave of emotions coursing through his boy. Danny ignored him though as he looked between the adults in the living room, wishing to knock all of their equipment over and throw them against the crumbling walls. However, he stayed rooted to his spot, shaking all over as hot, angry tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Danny…" Rose called hesitantly, looking around the room anxiously as the room seemed to drop in temperature. Maybe it did; Callan was watching the meters so he would know. However, the man seemed frozen in his seat, looking in every direction anxiously. "Is something the matter? Did my questions upset you?"

" _GET OUT!_ "

 _BANG!_

" _SHIT!_ " Callan screamed as the loud sound reverberated through the house, shooting up from his seat again. Spinning around, he looked for the source of the sound, doing just what his friends were also doing. They'd all tensed up, spooked by the faint yell they heard and the physical _bang_ that had boomed through the two-story house. "What the hell was that?!"

"It sounded like a door upstairs." Gage clarified, aiming his camera at the railing that was visible above them. No one could see anything else about the second story from their angle and the camera told Gage that no tiny figure was standing anywhere near the railing, as the small figure and the small figure's dog were both standing at his side. "Should one of us go upstairs and check to make sure that wasn't just a draft or something? Last I checked, Danny doesn't have enough power on his own to do that sort of thing."

"I said _get out!_ " Danny yelled again, scrubbing his damp face before a sob broke out of his mouth. Cujo whimpered and whined for a moment before he barked to get the child's attention, startling the adults by the suddenness of his voice. However, Danny pushed his beloved pet away. "Go away, Cujo! I want Momma and Daddy right now, not you!"

 _BANG!_

The three adults jumped again as Rose yelled, " _FUCK!_ That one wasn't a fluke! It was the fucking basement door! Since when did Danny have enough power to do that twice in a few minutes?!"

Danny froze, staring at the door with wide, terrified blue eyes.

" _oH, bUt ThAt WaSn'T dAnNy, lItTlE rOsE…_ "

The voice was deep, a man's. It was scratchy like a smoker's but also smooth like silk. It spoke lowly, barely managing to surpass a whisper. For Danny, the voice was familiar…and also very terrifying.

" _iT's TiMe To LeT mE oUt NoW, dAnNy…_ "

Cujo growled deep in his throat as Danny trembled for a whole new reason. He hardly noticed the three adults searching the room for the cause of the temperature drop. His eyes were locked on the basement door, the one that had been welded shut by a fire and the place where the low voice had originated from. The ash-stained door was still and innocent in the darkness, just as it always was. Not a single dent or scratch was out of place on its charred surface.

Then… How did it seem so menacing when there was nothing wrong with it?

 _" …dAnNy, DaNnY, dAnNy, TiMe To LeT mE oUt NoW, dAnNy…"_

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Cujo practically roared, barking and growling menacingly at the basement door as he stood in the middle of the room. The chaos could be heard by the three investigators as they jumped away from the basement door, waving their meters and cameras around in hopes of seeing whatever assailant was trying to scare them. Callan yelled, "What the hell is Danny doing?!"

" _ **lEt Me OuT nOw, DaNnY! It'S tImE tO lEt Me Out!**_ "

Upstairs, Danny huddled on the bed, curled up on Basket's side as he watched the door over the husky's body with his wide blue eyes. Trembles racked his frame, tears still glistening on his cheeks. His tiny fists were tangled in his stuffed animal's fur as he hid himself behind the plush toy, trying to make himself as small as possible.

" _He'll go away soon… He has to go away soon… He'll go away soon…_ "

* * *

Sitting on the porch swing with Basket sitting in front of him, Danny blinked slowly as he watched the five men sit on the tailgates of their large Fords parked in his small driveway. Their equipment was in a bunch of cases behind them, slid into their perfect places. They still had some of it out though and, while four of the men packed up, the fifth sat with a laptop and some headphones, listening and watching whatever he was working on intently. The other men talked while they packed up, though they kept it quiet out of respect for the man working with the laptop.

Sighing, Danny looked over the porch railing and stared upwards. His neutral expression slowly morphed into a content smile as he laid down, lying across Basket's back as he stared up at the blinking lights flickering in the black night sky. In the young boy's mind, the flashing lights meant the stars were waving at him, saying hello to him when no one else in the world could even see him. The thought always made Danny grin brightly as he waved back at the stars, giggling under his breath as he watched the millions of blinking dots that were all sorts of colors, such as blue, yellow, white, and red. Despite the stars being so numerous, not one of them didn't know who Danny was.

The moon was a full disk in the sky tonight. It held its spot high in the sky, a round orb flawed with grey spots. However, the moon was never ashamed of its imperfections, coming out practically every night. There were some nights it disappeared and a faint, silver outline was all Danny could see of it. However, that didn't happen often and the moon always came back, draping the entire world in a silver-blue blanket that made everything glow all sorts of shades of blue and white. Much to Danny's dismay though, the street-lamps were always on at night and chased away much of the moon's blanket, taking away his fairytale scene with it. At least the lights didn't chase away the moon as well. It always stayed, a constant figure in Danny's lonely life.

As noted, the streetlights were all on, as they were every night. They shed light over the abandoned, black road running down the lines of houses and ending at the cul-de-sac, where Danny's house sat on a larger-than-average plot of land. The house had a nice, big yard with only a few trees, giving the child (or his dog) plenty of space to romp and play if he so desired. The porch overlooked the yard and led to the driveway that was small, despite the size of the yard. It barely fit the two grey Fords parked along it. The garage was shut in front of the large trucks, the windows blacked-out and covered in dirt and grime.

The night was mostly silent, except for the small noises the men made as they worked through the chilly night. Somehow, they all remained relaxed and bright, despite the exhaustion that weighed them down. It was different from the other men and women that worked this late into the night, Danny noted. Most people became uptight and irritable, snapping at the friends they had around them. Not these men though. Their drowsiness only slowed their reaction speeds, taking away nothing from their emotional state.

Danny wondered what exhaustion felt like. He knew he'd felt it before but that had been such a long time ago, when Momma and Daddy and Jazzy had still been around and he had slept in his bed every night. Now all he seemed to do was wander the house, looking for something to pass the time with while he waited for everything to go back to the way it was. He'd tried sleeping plenty of times before but it had never worked and it was never long before he was trying something else. It was a lonely existence.

Sure, he had Cujo but the large dog was very different from another human being. Danny could play with him and talk to him all he wanted but Cujo would never understand, would never be able to answer the boy. Basket could understand but, like Cujo, he could never answer or talk to Danny. That didn't mean Danny loved either of them any less; he just wished there was someone who could see him, hear him, talk to him and understand.

There only seemed one person capable of doing all of those things but _God alone_ knew what kind of monster that was, trapped behind a basement door, forever calling to Danny to open the entryway and _let him out_.

 _BANG_.

Danny jumped, looking all around for the source of the noise, immediately assuming it was the person behind the basement door, ready to come out and scream. However, he calmed when he saw that one of the men, the one named Chris, had just shut a door to one of the Fords not-so-quietly. Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he rested his head on Basket's head again. A smile twitched at his lips as Cujo stuck his green-stained head through one of the holes the collapsing door had, looking for the source of the sound. Danny giggled as the large dog looked all around before deeming everything ok, slipping back inside the house easily and disappearing from view again.

"Bye-bye Cujo!" Danny called after the dog. In return, he received a bark at the sound of the dog's name, earning another giggle from the young boy as he turned back to watch the four men gathered around the one with the laptop, who Danny remembered was named Porter.

"Alright Porter, tell us we caught some good evidence tonight." Chris stated, looking at his dark-haired friend curiously.

The tallest of the group nodded his head, a small smile gracing his face as he thought of all the evidence he had reviewed. Carefully and quietly, he tapped some keys on the laptop in front of him as he said, "Oh, we caught a ton of awesome evidence. In all honesty, I'm not sure where to start. There's just so much and all of it is bone-chilling."

"I'm not overly surprised." Another dark-haired man commented. Danny remembered his name was Brannon and he'd particularly liked the man. It was probably because he'd introduced Danny to the different meters that lit up or squealed whenever the little boy neared them, proving his existence with more than just a little swaying needle behind a plastic case, pointing to all sorts of colors. "We had an active night altogether from the shadow play, disembodied voices, and even touches. Remember when Doogie tried to grab that stuffed toy on the first floor and he got pushed back?"

The others laughed at the memory, whether because they thought it was funny or they were nervous and didn't know how to handle it, Danny didn't know. Luckily for the team, the man in question, Doogie, merely rolled his eyes good-naturedly and commented, "Oh, I'm sure everyone remembers that vividly, Brannon. Thank you. That little sucker packs a punch though."

"Oh, it gets better. We actually have an EVP just after you're pushed, Doogie." Porter stated, earning everyone's undivided attention. They all looked astonished as the dark-haired man grinned deviously, as if he had been waiting to drop the bombshell for a while.

"You're kidding." Chasey said, wearing an expression of disbelief that matched the other three's faces.

Porter, suppressing laughter at his friend's bewilderment, shook his head. He gestured to the computer in front of him as he replied, "I'm not. Listen to it real quick. You'll hear Doogie grunt when he's pushed and then you'll hear a voice right after that."

Everyone leaned forward as Porter tapped another key on the laptop in front of him. Danny, who silently watched from his spot, tilted his head at their conversation. Most of it he didn't understand. What he did manage to catch was that they'd caught something with their weird electronics and instruments. Did they have proof that he was there?

From his spot, Danny couldn't hear much. There was a soft grunt that would probably be much louder if he was closer to the trucks and the men. However, he didn't hear anything follow after it. The men must've though because they all drew back at the same time, all muttering excited 'oh's' as they did. Brannon let out a near hysterical giggle as he rubbed his chin, saying, "Play that one more time!"

"I'll enhance it real quick so you can hear it better." Porter muttered as he smiled excitedly, quickly doing as he said by clacking along the keyboard. In a few seconds, he had fulfilled all he had said and hit the play button again. Everyone listened closely again, even though Porter had bumped up the volume. Even Danny could hear everything going on from his spot, though the silence of the night might be helping his hearing abilities.

Just like the first time, there was the grunt, as if something had had the wind abruptly taken from him. It was followed by someone worriedly asking, " _Doogie, you ok? What's the matter?_ "

" _No! You can't have Basket! Basket's my friend, not yours! You can't take him away from me!_ "

"That sounds like a kid, a _young_ kid! How old did the Black-Out team say Danny was when the fire started?" Doogie asked, looking towards Chris for the answer, as he had been one of two members that had gone to talk to the three members of the other investigation team. The other three had stayed behind to do the baseline sweep they always did before investigating a building.

Though the excitement didn't disappear from his face, it became laced with sullenness at the question. Glancing towards Doogie, Chris answered, "They told Porter and I that Danny was four years old. I've got no doubt in my mind that was Danny on the recording and it's very likely that was his toy before the fire and he still believes so. Child entities don't typically understand what happened to them, remember?"

The others nodded to show they understood while Danny frowned, tilting his head to the side in confusion, not for the first time. All the investigators seemed to say different things while the meaning always stayed the same. Thus far, Danny only knew that something caused a fire ( _Sparks flew into the air with loud_ pops _and they dazzled in the air, looking so much like fireflies before they died out, nothing but black ash as they fluttered back to the burning floor as the heat pressed all around him, burning white hot but also feeling frigid cold; how did that work?_ ) and had changed him, Cujo, and whoever had been in the basement because of it. How the change happened or what it turned them into, Danny didn't know and could only guess at. He was starting to think he'd never get an answer.

"Alright, I vote none of us attempt to touch the stuffed toy tomorrow night. All in favor?" Chasey asked, raising his hand into the air as he looked at the others around him. Not far behind the large man, the other four raised their hands, occasionally saying 'I.' Chasey's lips twitched up as he dropped his hand again but he didn't full-blown grin, the air too solemn to try.

"What else do you have for us, Porter?" Chris asked curiously, leaning forward again. One of his legs swung absently as it dangled over the side of the tailgate.

Before he answered, Porter quickly tapped across the laptop again as he searched for the next piece of evidence he wanted to give. He seemed to decide on one of them, for he pulled one up and gestured for the other five around him to gather close. They all did, looking over each other's shoulders to see whatever it was that Porter had caught. "Alright, so this one is very interesting. Chasey and Brannon were upstairs in Danny's room and, when he moves the camera over the window the first time, you can see all of it. However, when he moved it back over a second time, there's something blocking it."

The men were silent as they watched whatever Porter had for them but, just as before, they all moved back away from each other when they saw whatever magnificent thing was there, as if they were physically blown away by what they had seen. Danny was curious as to whatever they were so astonished by but it was a cold night and he didn't want to leave Basket along in the frigid air. That would be mean. So Danny stayed in his spot, edging to go find out what the computer told the five men but staying still by his best friend.

"Was that a head?" Brannon asked, looking excited and unnerved at the same time. After all, he had been one of the members in the room at the time and he'd had no idea that there had been a small figure watching them as the child sat on the bed in the middle of the room, silent as a mouse.

With a growing grin, Porter nodded and replied, "Yup. It was small but it was there, blocking out the light coming from the windows. That was around the time all the meters in the house went dead downstairs and just before y'alls meters began going off. Danny just sort-of migrated from the living room to his room, probably wondering what y'all were doing up there."

Danny remembered that and that was the exact reason he'd gone upstairs. After all, not too many people ever decided to go upstairs. He didn't know why and he never seemed to be able to figure out why. However, these guys had braved whatever it was the others feared and Danny, intrigued by this, had followed Brannon and Chasey up to his bedroom, leaving little Basket downstairs in Cujo's care (though he didn't want to).

"That's creepy, man." Chris commented, chuckling breathlessly as he rubbed the back of his head, much like Danny did when he was nervous. It was a nervous habit he'd picked up from his father and, though he'd try to break it plenty of times before, it always managed to stick with him, despite not having seen his father for a very long time.

For no real reason, Danny sighed at the thought of his parents and frowned as he tried to call up the pictures of them in his head. What came to him was fuzzy and, no matter how much he tried, Danny couldn't get them to come into focus, nor could he remember the sounds of their voices or what they had smelled like. The same was with his sister and, much to his dismay, he found her image was harder to recall than his parents. He only had the simplest of memories, such as her red-orange hair, her teal eyes, and the blue hairband she always wore.

Without realizing it, Danny whimpered and hunkered down next to Basket, hugging him close as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. His blue eyes focused on the five men again, trying to forget his inability to recall the images of his parents and his only sibling. It scared him because he knew that meant it had been a long, _long_ time since they'd gone away. Why had they left him? Had they forgot he existed?

Together, the team continued to comb through the evidence they found, grinning and laughing as they came across each piece. Their excitement eased Danny's anxiety and sorrow, occupying his mind as he watched them. They occasionally laughed at something they said or did, such as Doogie almost falling off of the tailgate at Cujo's sudden barks over the speakers when they hadn't heard the hound in the room. It was calming to have a positive influence around when he was so used to only one other person, who did nothing but scream, bang on the door, and call ' _let me out, Let Me Out, LET ME OUT_.'

From his spot, Danny could hear the EVPs they played. It was thrilling to be able to hear his voice and know others could hear it too. Danny smiled as he heard the five men listen to his words (not all of them but some) and react to them, as if he had spoken to them directly. It was just so relieving.

One of the last EVPs caught the men's attention particularly. They listened to it a couple times and it was obvious by their expressions that they were disturbed by what Danny had said. He didn't understand why. All he did was speak the truth and that's what his parents had taught him to do. He had never spoken a lie- mostly because Jazz hadn't -so why would he start now?

" _Why do you stay here, Danny? It must get lonely being here all by yourself. Why not leave?_ "

" _Cause I'm waiting for Momma and Daddy to come and take me and Cujo away and we'll leave the monster behind the basement door all by itself so it can never get out because he's been very, very bad._ "

"That's… Oh geez, that's not something you'd hear a normal kid say." Chris muttered, rubbing his face as the audio-recording ended for the fifth time. Something about the casual way Danny practically said he wanted to let the other spirit rot for all eternity was alarming. They could all understand where the resentment came from but the calm certainty in the statement- that his parents would come back; that he willingly wanted another being to suffer, evil or not -sent alarm bells ringing in all of their heads, especially since reports from Black-Out stated that Danny had quite a bit of power on his hands, who knew where from.

Danny tilted his head at the short man's statement, wondering why a "normal" kid wouldn't say such a thing (and didn't he classify as normal? Just because he was different didn't mean he wasn't normal). After all, wouldn't all kids want their monster trapped too? Why would any normal kid want their monster free? So it-he-she could track them down and scare them some more? Uh-huh, no way. If that was normal, Danny didn't want to be that way.

"Well, when a kid is trapped in a house with a malevolent being for a long time, it might make them a little warped. Can you blame him, Chris?" Chasey asked the other man, earning a shake of the head. The wild-haired man only nodded in return, easily getting his point across with his simple statement.

The small child frowned deeper as he listened to the men talk. While he was used to being talked about as if wasn't there, it always irked him that they did. They had evidence he existed! Why didn't they take into consideration that he might hang around, even when their (ultra-super-fun-light-up-beeping) devices weren't on? It's not like he suddenly disappeared when the cameras turned off. With a huff, Danny expressed his annoyance by saying, "I'm not warped! Whatever that means…"

Brannon rubbed his face before dropping his hand, allowing it to rest on his thigh. His eyes drifted away from the group of friends around him to the house, studying the large, vine-covered structure. Sometimes he swore shadows were dancing around inside the windows but he couldn't be sure. For no particular reason, his tired eyes suddenly drifted to the porch and the slowly rocking porch-swing as the breeze pushed it a few inches, swaying it back and forth. Then they locked onto the stuffed toy sitting on the dry-rotted wooden swing. Brannon's heart jumped into his throat as he slapped his brother's arm, saying, "Did one of y'all move that stuffed husky that was sitting on the living room couch?"

Confused, Chris looked between his brother and the porch swing with a muttered 'what,' which was quickly cut off when he saw what had suddenly spooked Brannon. The other three men, not to be lost in the action, quickly turned their attention to the scene the brothers had become engrossed in. Their mouths dropped open as well and Chasey muttered, "Well I'll be damned…"

It took a moment for one of them to snap out of it and it was Chris who finally looked away, searching the others' faces for any deception. He asked, "Alright, which one of you morons moved the toy? How'd you even pick it up? Danny kicked Doogie's ass when he got within three feet of it."

The other four quickly rattled off that it wasn't them, that they hadn't moved it. Chris, who was obviously perturbed by the entire dilemma, demanded that the doer of the evil deed fess up and set all of their minds at ease. However, the others were just as adamant, claiming that it hadn't been any of them that had moved the toy. "Well, someone had to have moved it! It can't on its own!"

Danny smirked smugly, proud of himself. It had taken a long time for him to muster up enough power to move things and even more time for him to perfect the trick. Sure, he still couldn't move things too many times without quickly becoming drained but it was working for him as it was, creating much more freedom within its confides. Now he didn't have to choose whether he wanted to spend time with Cujo or Basket, instead bringing Basket downstairs to hang out as he played with the large hound.

The only downside was that the being behind the door came out more often because he was downstairs more. It made him retreat to his bedroom every time, for what else could he do but hide and hope the other person in the house went away? There was nothing else he could accomplish, except maybe open the door and there was no way in _hell_ he was doing that.

The five men continued to look between each other, waiting apprehensively for any of them to fess up and take responsibility for the stuffed toy's new place of resting. There wasn't a flash of trickery on anyone's faces either and Chris, coming to this realization a few seconds quicker than the others, started grabbing one of the cases in the back of the truck. "I'm grabbing a frikkin thermal."

A small giggle escaped Danny's lips as he watched the men grapple with the cases, trying to open them while also keeping their eyes on the stuffed toy resting silently on the porch-swing, as if it would move if they so much as looked away for a second. Even so, they worked quickly and Chasey, the one who grabbed the camera first, hopped off the tailgate and approached the porch steps, flipping the camera on. He didn't dare get much closer, for fear of scaring off the little child that may be possibly sitting calmly on the porch swing in their midst. The camera came to life in his hands and, as the thermal focused, Chasey mumbled, "You guys need to see that."

The others gathered around, once again looking over each other's broad shoulders in an attempt to see what was so interesting on the thermal, though they all had a feeling as to what it was. Not so surprisingly but eerie all the same, a tiny humanoid figure sat behind the frigid husky. Its head was tilted to the side a little and both hands rested on the stuffed toy in front of the figure. It hardly moved.

"Hi Danny…" Doogie called, raising a hand to wave slowly as his eyes stayed glued to the camera and the images flashing across the screen.

The figure waved back.

* * *

From his spot at the doorframe, Danny watched the interesting man standing in his driveway, standing beside a sleek, black car with no top. The man didn't need it, for the day was warm and a gentle breeze rustled the few trees growing in the yard, tossing the branches around lightly. No one accompanied the man, which Danny found unusual. People usually showed up in pairs or groups, never really alone. Most people declared it too dangerous with all the reports of a malevolent entity and physical touches attached to the house and its history. That and they weren't sure how much longer the structure would stay standing. Everyone was waiting for it to collapse.

The man being alone wasn't the only thing strange thing about him. He looked considerably different from the other people that had come and gone throughout the years. Pretty much everyone who had come had been young adults- not too young but youthful, nonetheless. This man was probably the oldest of any person that had approached the house, even sporting long, silver hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail at his nape. His eyebrows and goatee were pale in color as well, sticking out drastically against his tan skin. His cobalt eyes, so much darker than Danny's baby-blue orbs, were sharp and observant. He didn't wear the typical t-shirt, faded jeans, and muddy sneakers either. Instead, the man had a black, button-down shirt with white pinstripes running up and down on it, black slacks, and dark leather moccasins. With a professional but haughty air around him, the strange man clasped his hands behind his back, looking the house up and down in disdain.

The man's appearance and the way he looked at Danny's home made the small boy uncomfortable. He knew the state of disrepair his place of residence had fallen into, with the vines slowly overtaking the brick work and grime covering the windows, hiding whatever was inside. The front door was falling off its hinges and scorch-marks flayed around the downstairs windows. The wood making up the front porch was dull, sagging in some places as nails bent out of place. Even the yard Danny liked to play in sometimes needed tending to, the grass overgrown and yellow with the trees growing wildly all around, getting a little bigger with the passing time. Yet, no one, not even the city, ever bothered to touch the house or even the plot of land it sat on.

But its crumbling state didn't make it any less desirable in Danny's eyes. The house was one of the biggest in the neighborhood, with only two or three others surpassing it in size. It had plenty of places to explore and play whatever games the small child could think up. The back of the house overlooked a forest and you could only hear the highway on certain days, usually in the winter when all the leaves had fallen off the trees and fluttered to the ground, coating the forest floor with brown leaves that crunched underfoot.

If someone would just tidy the house up a little and make a few repairs, it wouldn't be so looked down upon by men such as the one standing in the driveway or the neighbors who went on walks, passed the house, shook their heads, and sighed before continuing their trek, pushing the thought of the decaying home to the very back of their minds so they wouldn't have to remember it. It was easy since the house was in the very back of the neighborhood; out of sight, out of mind.

With curious and wary baby-blue eyes, the little four-year-old watched the man sigh at the house before beginning to cross the rest of the driveway. Danny ducked back inside the house, wondering even more why the man was here. Though he looked distinctly out of place with his well-trimmed appearance, Danny wouldn't have been overly surprised to see the man pull out a dozen gadgets and gizmos, all made to track down someone like him and Cujo and the monster behind the basement door. However, the man had none. So what did he want?

Cujo wagged his tail as he saw Danny reenter the house through one of the small entryways the decaying door made. The little boy waved to the dog, petting his head as he passed by the hound lying in the middle of the living room. Danny continued on though, heading for the couch, where his beloved toy was watching the room with his scratched button eyes and threaded smile. He petted the dangling head lovingly before turning back to look at the door, standing in front of the stuffed animal protectively. Cujo, as usual, was relaxed but, underlying his casual attitude, he seemed ready to come between anything that would possibly harm the young boy.

Through the walls, lonely _cr-r-reaks_ came from the porch steps outside as the white-haired man climbed them. Next came the thumping footsteps of the man's shoes against the rotting wooden planks of the porch. The tall shadow passed by the grimy windows, nothing more than a dark silhouette against the grimy panes. The man's approach was slow and Danny would've thought it was apprehensive, except the way the man held himself in the driveway screamed of confidence. So it obviously wasn't anxiousness.

As the man made it to the door, Danny could feel the beginnings of a smile trying to make it onto his face as he surveyed the way the silver-haired man looked at the broken hinges with irritation. Flashes of other adults trying to gracefully enter the premises entered his mind after the door had begun to fall from its well-placed hinges, always ending in failure and usually a face-plant. The only ones who could get inside without a struggle were children, like him, or very small adults/teenagers. Like, a person had to be teensy-weensy to slip through the holes without any trouble.

As usual, the man, like so many others, just tried to step inside with a tiny jump in their step. And, as usual, he misjudged just how much he had to lift his following foot up. His shoe caught the edge of the dangling door, tipping him forward. The man pin-wheeled abruptly, trying to steadying himself in vain, not hearing the way Danny laughed at the show or the way Cujo's tail thumped against the floor as his bloodshot eyes studied the newcomer. Unfortunately for Danny and his amusement, the man managed to right himself, unlike so many others, and straightened out his shirt as much as possible, looking every which to make sure no one had seen his mishap.

Off to the side, Danny snickered before he pouted. Cujo's tail continued to thump against the ash-strewn floor under him, looking back and forth between Danny and the silver-haired man.

After running a hand through his perfectly brushed hair, fixing his shirt, and regaining his wits, the silver-haired man looked around the blackened living room, a frown appearing on his face. Danny noted it didn't look disgusted like it had when the man had been gazing at the house's exterior. The destroyed interior had set off a new emotion, a new look at what the house had been through.

How was the structure supposed to be happy on the outside when it was so damaged on the inside?

A sigh escaped the man's lips as his dark eyes traveled around the room. Danny thought they lingered in his general direction and Cujo's but that may have been a trick of the dim light filtering through the windows. Besides, even if it did seem to linger, it could've been for anything. The first level of the house was a complete wreck, after all.

Danny hadn't been seen in a long time. Why would today be any different from all the others?

However, the man's eyes locked on the basement door. It was hard to spot against the wall, having practically been welded completely shut to the doorframe, not a single crack along the edges to let anything beyond it out. Danny prayed it would always stay that way, leaving the monster there to rot for all eternity, despite how much awe he used to have at the room just beyond the charred door.

Then again… He couldn't really remember what was down there anyways, much to his chagrin.

Danny's head tilted to the side as he watched the man's dark eyes narrow at the hidden, useless entrance. Curiosity sparked through his eyes and, carefully, the man began stepping towards the door at a slow pace. His hands dangled uselessly at his sides as he, silent as a thief in the night, stole away towards the entryway to the monster's lair. Danny watched, shocked that the man would ever dare (though no one ever seemed to realize what lay beyond it), before he jumped between the door and the man, glaring in a dare to approach any further.

The little boy expected the man to keep walking, which would result in Danny pushing the man back in another warning. However, to his shock, the man stopped, wiping Danny's glare from his face as it was replaced with surprise. Then, to further up the shock scale, the man seemed to stare at the spot Danny was, though he didn't seem capable of actually seeing him. Either way, the young boy could feel a few tinges of hope building up in his chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling and it was very out of place in Danny's usual array of emotions but it wasn't entirely unpleasant either.

Unfortunately, it deflated rather quickly, fading away into a dark abyss, for Danny realized the silver-haired wasn't looking at his spot. The cobalt eyes were staring at the space above his head. They were probably locked onto some charred image the fire left behind, scattered along the wall and forever stuck in a dancing image that would probably fade away completely with more time.

Though he didn't leave his spot, Danny's shoulders slumped sullenly as he stared at the much taller man. Clasping his hands in front of him, the child waited for the strange figure invading his house to make some sort of move, whether it be backing down from the basement door or trekking towards it again. Shoulders low, eyes tired and depressed, but stance firm, Danny waited patiently in his spot, refusing to budge even an inch from his post.

It was a few minutes more for the new figure to decide what to do. In the end, he chose to carefully move away, leaving Danny to watch the man walk away. It took Danny a moment to snap out of his shock and scamper away from the front of the door (what if the monster came out?), treading back to the couch and collapsing to his knees beside Cujo. The dog, thumping his tail again against the hard ground, panted happily in Danny's direction as the boy scratched behind the hound's ears, earning many kisses in return, earning laughs from the young boy.

With most of his attention on Cujo, Danny hardly paid any attention to the man after that encounter. He only checked to make sure that he didn't try to approach the door; otherwise, he petted and played with the large Saint Bernard as they sprawled across the blackened floor. Laughs came from the boy while playful growls and yips came from the dog's mouth. Occasionally, they seemed to reverberate off the walls and Danny would vaguely notice the figure investigating the house perk to attention; however, that happened with plenty others. One more man possibly hearing them wouldn't change anything in their lives.

Soon enough, the man seemed to be finished with the entire first floor, having gone through the kitchen and formal dining room hanging off the living room. He paused on his way over to the staircase, looking at the crumbling stuffed animal sitting silently on the couch. It'd been hidden by the couch's lopsidedness and, finally standing at an angle where he could see it, Danny watched as another one of those disdainful smiles crawled its way onto the man's expression, twisting his lips downwards as his eyes flickered irritably.

The small child paused in his playing, earning a whine from Cujo as he nudged the boy's hand to get his attention. Absently, Danny rubbed the top of the dog's head, appeasing him easily. However, it only took a few seconds for the boy to become angered by the look full of contempt the man held.

With another one of his unhappy frowns playing across his face, Danny pushed himself up, perking Cujo to attention instantly. Practically stomping across the floor, Danny went over to where Basket was lying and hugged him around the neck, glaring at the man as he continued to gaze at the animal disdainfully. Comfortingly, Danny petted the stuffed animal's head while again glaring at the man intruding in his life, like so many others.

Unexpectedly, though, the man's disdainful look melted away into an expression of pity as he gazed at the animal. Danny's look melted away as well, wondering what happened to have the man change his mind. The strange adult didn't stick around though. He turned towards the stairwell and began the ascent, carefully maneuvering around the hole in the steps. The long, lonely _cr-r-reaks_ the old boards gave echoed off the silent walls off the house as the man climbed the steps.

A sigh escaped Danny's lips as he released his hold around Basket's neck. He scampered over to where Cujo was lying, rubbing his head again and saying, "You watch everything down here, ok? I'll be back in a little while."

Cujo continued to pant and his doggish smile was spread wide across his face. It was a good enough answer for Danny, who immediately scurried over to the steps, following the man as he trekked to the second story of the house.

It took little time for Danny to run up the stairs, having done it plenty of times before and all but used to jumping over the hole, even though he could just as easily cling to the rail and slip up using the very edges of the boards. The boy hardly noticed the charred walls turning into faded, painted drywall as he slipped into another world lying within the house. He'd become so used to the transition that he had all but forgotten what the downstairs used to look like before the fire had engulfed it.

The strange man was waltzing slowly down the hallway. Danny stopped at the top of the staircase, watching from a distance.

The dust floating slowly this way and that made the man crinkle his nose as he breathed shallowly, trying his best not to inhale too much of it. It was hard though. The floating specks had collected quite a bit over time up here in the stuffy upstairs, looking very much like a heavy snowfall caught stuck in time. The dust covered all the frames of the pictures hanging on the walls, clouding them over and hiding the details of whatever pictures lay behind the glass. They might as well not have been there at all.

Used to the cloudiness of the second story, Danny had no problems watching as the man slowly looked through all the rooms. He started with Jazz's, looking in at the bubblegum pink walls and the line of stuffed animals on a shelf above her bed. There was a bookcase in one corner, a hoard of picture books overflowing from the shelves. The carpet was plush, though matted, and was once white, though it was now faded and yellowed. Open books lay all across the carpet and Barbie dolls were forever stuck sitting or standing in the house in the middle of the girl's room, dressed in decaying clothes that had long since lost their sparkle and shine.

The sheets on the bed were ruffled and strewn across the unused mattress, as if they had been thrown off in a hurry. They mirrored Danny's mess of sheets in his room, though the man with the silver hair couldn't possibly know that. The things on the nightstand were knocked over, a couple objects scattered around the floor. The lamp used to have been on, way back in the beginning, but the bulb had long since gone out, leaving it cold and the room dark all around.

Danny looked at the familiar room as the man entered, going to the closet and opening it. Outfits were jam-packed inside, a large array of colors inside, though the rainbow had faded into a dull expanse a long time ago. There were shoes thrown across the floor with rusty buckles, wimpy straps, and moldy laces. A pile of moth-eaten blankets sat on a shelf high above the floor, along with a few lesser-used toys that Jazz had refused to give up, even though she'd outgrown some of them.

Cold and detached, the silver-haired man looked around the room and investigated the abandoned belongings, though he didn't move anything. Danny appreciated that, for that meant he wouldn't have to come back later and fix it. After all, the young boy didn't think Jazzy would appreciate her things touched and moved while she was gone. Danny knew full well how much she liked her things where she deemed they belonged. Though her face eluded him, the young boy still vividly remembered her tantrums.

There wasn't much in the room that piqued the intruding man's interest and, soon enough, he was leaving the room. Danny stepped out of his way as he passed and, though the man immediately began heading down the hallway to the next room, the boy paused in his sister's bedroom doorway. Looking inside, an ache to see his sibling stirred inside his chest, throbbing dully. With a frown, Danny trudged after the man, who'd breezed past the dull bathroom and gone on to investigate the guest room beside his parents' bedroom.

The room was generic, needless to say. It was painted a pretty teal color, though the paint was chipped and peeling in some places. More pictures hung across the walls and, through the dust, one could see pictures of all sorts of birds, some in flight while others rested in various foliage. There was a long wooden dresser with a dust-covered mirror sitting on top, a queen-sized bed with light-blue sheets and blankets, and a closet off to the side, empty except for the extra sheets and pillows stored inside.

Again, the strange man investigated the room, though he didn't spend much time in this one. Danny didn't really pay attention to anything beyond the doorway either, as there weren't too many memories stuck to this one specific room. Soon enough, they were moving onto the next room, which just happened to be the small child's parents'. Much like he did with Jazz's, Danny paid careful attention to the way the man treated the room, not wanting him to touch anything but also not in the mood to muster up the strength to stop him, if the man desired to move anything.

Unsurprisingly, the sheets were ruffled and in a mess towards the middle of the bed, tossed aside without much thought. There was a master bathroom hanging off to the side and a large walk-in closet that would be more than enough for the couple. There were decorative photos across the walls, as well as a large mirror that would've been glamorous, if not for the state it had fallen into. There was also a desk in one corner, photographs in frames sitting atop it, though hidden by dust, while crayon-drawn pictures were taped to the wall. Most of the sticky substance on the tape had all but dried up and, no matter how many times Danny tried to stick them back onto the wall, most of them refused to stick to the wall any longer. Some of the pages were on the floor while others were scattered across the desk.

In this room, the silver-haired man took longer than the last two. He watched everything carefully, as if something would jump out at him, but nothing stirred. Danny didn't feel up to any tricks today, his strength all but zapped from nothing in particular from the last few minutes of wandering after the man. Again, the boy decided that, should the man touch anything, he'd put it back in its perfect place later. Just not right now.

As if he could hear the young boy's thoughts, the man reached out to one of the framed pictures sitting on the desk as he wandered over to it. Danny watched as dust-free spots appeared on the wooden surface before the strange figure wiped away the dust covering the glass, obscuring the photo from view. Tilting his head, Danny curiously saw four people trapped within the glass. One was of him, with a happy smile, clean clothes, and an unscathed face. There was a girl with orange-red hair beside him, grinning as Danny teasingly tugged at her teal hairband a little. Behind them stood two adults that, upon gazing at, Danny knew were his and his sister's parents, though hardly a flicker of recognition rang through his brain.

Why was it that he knew their faces when he could see them but it wasn't like he knew them at all?

Despite liking the picture, Danny quickly grew uninterested it, though it had been the first time he'd seen it in a long time. However, the man was much more taken with it, sighing and brushing his fingers over the scratched glass as he frowned in contemplation. Danny was ever patient, waiting for the man to leave by the bedroom's doorframe, fingers intertwined in front of him as he rocked back and forth on his feet, creating not a sound.

Eventually, the man put the frame back down, placing it in the dust-free spot. Danny nodded at him appreciatively at the preciseness, which meant he wouldn't have to fix it later. Again, he stepped away from the entryway as the dark-eyed man meandered over, exiting the bedroom and crossing the hallway to the last bedroom on the floor: Danny's. The boy in question followed like a lost puppy over to it, curious to see what the man would think of his bedroom after gazing at Jazz's and his parents'.

As usual, the man entered without a sound or without hesitation. However, this time, Danny scampered in behind him, refusing to pause in the entryway. After all, this was _his_ room and he'd be damned if he let anyone- even this strange guy -let him feel out of place in _his_ room.

The man didn't seem overly impressed with the room and the mess it contained. As he looked over the dusty nooks and crannies, he stepped over the piles of Legos across the rug and the Matchbox cars still in their tracks, making sure not to knock anything over. The drooping posters hardly earned any attention at all, as did the piles of plushies strewn about everywhere. The man looked past the messy sheets and barely took notice in the few glow-in-the-dark stars still clinging to the plaster ceiling (Danny kept waiting for them to fall, like all the rest. Even the moon had fallen by now). Instead, the man sat on the edge of the bed, making Danny tilt his head at the figure that slumped and frowned, deep in thought.

Danny kept his distance from the still figure at first, refusing to get close to the one invading his house. However, his curiosity soon won out and, slowly, the small child tiptoed over to the side of the bed, standing in front of the tired looking man with his head tilted ever so slight to the side. Again, he clasped his hands in front of his body and frowned at the man, just as the figure was doing. Silently, Danny wondered what was wrong.

The two figures stayed silent for a long time. Talking was useless for the small boy and it didn't seem like the man was going to talk at all. Danny didn't think he had a reason to but the boy was shocked to hear the man ask the air around him, "You're still here, aren't you, Daniel? I could feel you hovering over me when I walked throughout the house. Even now, I feel you."

Perking to attention, Danny's posture immediately straightened up and he blinked in surprise at the man. His hands stayed clasped as he thought about the words that had come from the man's mouth. Obviously, it wasn't the kind of feel Danny usually thought of when it was mentioned, which usually brought him back to thoughts of him pushing people away from one thing or another. No, the kind of touch this man was talking about was an entirely different one, where you didn't feel anything at all but sensed something in the air. It allowed some people to feel him whenever he entered a room- though they never knew for sure -and it allowed Danny to foresee when the monster downstairs was going to come out at what time roughly.

However, Danny had never been called out quite like the way the man had. Others always asked for him- for a sound, a touch, a sign of some sort -and used his name to get a reaction. For this silver-haired man though, he simply acknowledged that he knew Danny was around, when others had no clue what to expect from the young child. Would he answer? Would he show up sometime and prove he existed?

Despite not understanding how exactly the man could tell if he was hanging close by or not, Danny couldn't help but feel excitement bubble in his chest, much like earlier before the man had unwittingly crushed it. However, the boy felt like it would stick this time, though it may not for very long. At least someone knew the boy existed without having to have a sign to prove it was him, to prove that he was the one around and that it wasn't some other invisible person.

"I don't think you remember me." The man stated, taking a deep breath and sighing as his gaze, which had been roaming around the room and lingering near Danny's spot, dropped to the dust-covered floor. Hints of sorrow flashed through his eyes, though they were distant when he felt them.

The man's statement confused the young boy, making him perk even more to attention. Cautiously, Danny took one step closer to the male, asking him, "Remember you?"

There wasn't a reaction to his prod but, either way, the man seemed to know the young child's question either way. Dark eyes stayed locked onto the sight of the floor and how unused it had been by physical creatures over the time that had passed since Danny had become stuck within the house. "I met you when you were still an infant and again when you were a toddler, though I didn't visit much after that. I wish I had before the fire…"

"Hm." Danny mumbled, also looking down to the floor, though he didn't study it as thoroughly as the man seemed to be doing. Really, he mostly looked through it as he picked at his brain, trying to find a memory of the man standing before him. However, he had little left that he knew the full story to and how could he expect himself to remember something from that long ago in the past (though he was only four-years-old so it wasn't _that_ long ago)?

For the young boy, there were no memories to grasp and hold onto so he tilted his chin back up to the silver-haired man, staring at him with no recognition in his eyes but with the acknowledgement that they may have met before. Sure, there was no proof of the man's claims but there was no reason for this man to lie either. What would he possibly gain?

"Technically, I'm your godfather but I'm not sure you know what that means." The man continued, as if he wasn't really talking to the boy at all but himself. It wouldn't be the first time. After all, it was hard to talk to someone that was invisible. "Your sister calls me 'uncle' though, when I go to see her and your parents. It'd probably make much more sense for you; it's easier to explain."

The young boy was silent for a moment, though he did perk again at the mention of his sister and his parents. That meant they were out there still, giving him hope anew. However, it was a conflicting feel, for if they were out there and fine, why hadn't they made an effort to come get him, taking him away from this dreary existence? It'd been a long time but they hadn't forgotten him over that stretch, had they? Something just held them back, kept them distracted from coming back and sweeping him up, right?

Danny chose to believe this instead of the alternative: they weren't coming at all.

"It's been a very long time, Little Badger. When I decided to come, I prepared myself for the idea that you might still be here, especially with all the reports of this house being haunted." The man continued, making Danny squint at him in confusion at the word 'haunted,' for he wasn't overly sure what that meant for him. "But I let myself hope that you would've moved on by now. I guess I shouldn't have asked for too much. You probably don't even understand what happened to you."

"I know what happened to me." Danny said, speaking up for the first time in quite a while. He looked his arms up and down, frowning at them curiously as he did. "I changed. I just don't know why. And you won't tell me, will you? No one ever does…"

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you so young and I'm sorry I never came by sooner." The silver-haired man stated and, for a moment, Danny thought the man might cry. But no, the figure quickly took a breath to compose himself, wiping whatever moisture might fall from his eyes quickly with the ends of his black sleeves. The man shook his head, taking another breath and standing up. Silently, he began to leave the young boy's rooms and Danny, feeling the creeping strands of abandonment starting to curl around his chest as they always did, scampered after, a small whimper bubbling in his throat as they walked down the hallway, down the staircase, and to the living room door. Like the lost puppy he seemed to be, Danny followed the man to the front door, staying close to his heels as Cujo watched, not understanding his young master's plight while Basket gazed understandingly with that _damned_ smile of his.

"Don't leave me!" Danny whined, daring to grab the end of the man's slacks and tug a little to get his attention. Not for the first time in his life, Danny felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes, threatening to roll down his face and drip from his chin. Another sad, forlorn whimper escaped the boy's throat as he quietly begged, "Stay for a little bit longer! I'm tired of being all alone!"

The man paused by the broken, clinging door, looking mildly surprised at something. Danny still clutched the man's slacks in his small, shaking fist, sniffling as he looked up at the man and silently begged for him to stay just a little bit longer. One teardrop fell from the young boy's eyes and it quickly rolled down his cheek, coming to a stop at his chin, where it dripped off and dissipated into the air, as if it hadn't been there at all.

Looking back into the room, the man looked at the floor around him, though his gaze swept right through Danny. It hovered close but not on him and, in an attempt to feel better, the small child stepped into the man's line of view, ignoring how it completely saw through him. The tall figure contemplated something for a few minutes, leaving them in silence. Danny wanted to yell at him and make some noise, for he didn't appreciate the gloomy air hovering around them. The sky had gone cloudy, blocking out the sun's light, only adding to the atmosphere.

"I have to go now." The man stated, looking around cautiously. Mewling sadly, Danny shook his head in a way that said 'don't go.' However, the man was oblivious to the utter urgency of the situation and continued carefully, "But I'll come back again soon enough, if that's what you want. I just can't stick around today."

"I don't wanna wait~!" Danny cried, weakly tugging again at the man's slacks. However, this time, his hands slipped through the fabric as his energy drained suddenly, his emotions all out of whack. He tried to cling to the dark-colored trousers again but got no results from his attempts. A second later, the silver-haired man began leaving, moving unsteadily through the door. Danny whimpered after him, easily rushing through the small hole he always used as the man came out on the other side of the entryway, straightening himself out again and trekking calmly towards the steps. Danny followed all the way to the stairs but wouldn't go further, watching from the top step as the man walked down the driveway, going to his nice car. Forlornly, Danny slumped sadly and made no move to wipe the tears running down his face.

The strange man didn't drive away immediately once he got in the car. Instead, he leaned back and pulled out his cellphone. Danny sullenly watched as the man clicked the screen a few times before pressing it to his ear. As he waited for whoever was on the other end of the line, the silver-haired man looked up to the house again and studied it. This time, though, it wasn't full of contempt for the way it'd been neglected over the years. Instead, it was sad, looking past the vines and grime-smeared windows as he searched for something that couldn't be seen to most eyes.

Soon enough though, the man's eyes came to attention again as he said, "Hello Maddie. It's me calling from the house."

Though his mind was mostly stuck in another realm, Danny squinted his eyes at the name of the person the man- his supposed godfather or uncle or something -had called struck a small chord of familiarity that was almost overlooked. He'd heard the name before; it meant something to him. Danny just couldn't remember exactly who the name belonged to. Was it a friend he had (though he didn't remember having any of those) or a neighbor? None of the answers seemed right but the young boy didn't know anyone else that might harbor the name.

"Well, there's not much you could do with the house. There's a significant amount of damage to the main level and I'm not quite sure how it's still standing. If it were up to me, I'd say knock it down." The man stated, oblivious to the fact he just made a tiny heart jump into a little boy's throat. "Although, I do have to ask; why are your old things still up in the second story? I thought you had long since gathered everything up."

There was another pause, allowing Danny time to have a small meltdown as he thought about the possibility of the house being knocked down. What would he do then? He'd have nowhere to go and neither would Cujo or Basket. What would they possibly do if Danny's parents didn't come before then? Where would they go and what would they do? How would Momma and Daddy know where to pick them up when they finally found time to do so?

And what would they do about the monster in the basement?

The man's voice startled Danny back to reality as he said, "Ah, I see… You know, you could've asked about my opinion a long time ago. I could've helped with all the work involved."

Another pause and another moment for Danny to worry about what he was going to do, should his house be levelled. His stomach rolled anxiously with his thoughts and his heart pounded against his chest. The tears fell faster and, through sobbing breaths, Danny made himself sick with his thoughts, traveling a dark road unconsciously with no direction or guiding hands to help him back to a better, happier place.

"Yes, I know it would've been hard to ask but you still could've. Anyways, that's not the point of this conversation." The silver-haired man stated, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lifted his head to face the cloudy sky still blocking most of the sun's rays. A sigh escaped his lips. "I was actually going to ask something. Why don't you let me take the house off your hands? I don't know what I'll do with it but it'll be one less payment for you to deal with and it'll be much faster and cheaper than anything else."

The silence that came with another pause practically suffocated Danny, though he wasn't sure how that came to be when he didn't need to breath. None of the words the man stated made any sense to him. All he knew was that someone named Maddie was going to knock down his home and he didn't know what he was going to do if she did, especially with his abnormal condition and the figure stuck behind the basement door.

"It's no big deal, Maddie. We both know that money isn't a problem for me. I'll have all the legal documents ready to be signed by tonight." The man stated before there was a small pause. Then he answered this Maddie person, "No, I'm not sure what I'll do with it. For now, I think I just want to leave the house be-" This earned Danny's undivided attention. "-which should give you time to go through your old things, if you so desire at any time. Who knows? Maybe you'll find some closure by visiting it."

There was another pause, allowing Danny to calm down from his nervous breakdown. Scrubbing the tears from his cheeks, the young boy listened as the silver-haired man said, "Alright, Maddie. Everything will be finalized within a few days. Have a good rest of your day and tell your daughter and…" Here the man rolled his eyes. "…your husband I said hello."

The man waited for a reply before he said another brisk goodbye before hanging up, placing the phone in the cup-holder beside him. Danny, though calm again, forlornly watched as the man started the car before backing down the cracked driveway without looking at the house again. Still, that didn't stop Danny from waving after the car as it drove away, a sigh falling between his lips as he wondered how long it would be before the man- or any other visitor -appeared again. Then, on the gentle breeze, came a voice that Danny never wanted to hear.

" _yOu'Ll nEvEr LeAvE mE, dAnNy~. NeVeR..._ "

* * *

 _hhooOOOOOooooowwwWWWWWwwllLLLllll~_

Cuddling up beside Basket, Danny watched the rain pound against his window, a dull roar to his ears. The drops streaked down the panes, racing like rockets as the droplets rammed into each other and combined into bigger droplets, trying to reach the bottom of the glass as fast as they could. Outside, the world was nothing but a blur of dark colors and fuzzy outlines as the clouds cried over it. Unsurprisingly, there weren't any figures outside, running around and enjoying the outdoors, for the downpour had chased them all inside. Not even a car with blinding headlights was in motion, all of them parked in their garages, their driveways, or along the curb.

The room was dark around the boy. There was no power in the house, no matter how many times Danny flipped the switches, and so little light could filter through the window, seeing how dark the day was. However, shadows still played about, following the motions of the raindrops and standing tall and still as the furniture did. Everything that wasn't black appeared to be a shade of blue. It was a dreary scene.

Thunder rolled occasionally, usually following a quick flash of lightning. Sometimes it cracked, practically shaking the whole house with its ferocity, while other times it simply grumbled lowly, not even the flash of light accompanying it this time or that. The sound was inconsistent though, coming and going likes the waves of the ocean. The sounds of the howling wind stayed close though, sometimes calling out in one lonely voice or singing a chorus of forlorn sounds before drifting away again, only to come back a few minutes or a few seconds later, calling out again.

Though most people would get the chills from listening to the mournful sound, Danny found comfort in it. After all, he hadn't known the wind felt as lonely as he did.

Basket didn't seem affected by the dreary weather. His smile was cheerful as always and, though the stitches on his eyes were starting to pop apart (much to Danny's dismay), they still gleamed in a joyous way. If he was able to, the boy could see Basket mewling comfortingly and cooing soothingly, trying to coax him to do something other than lay around all day, which was something that Danny had found himself doing most days recently. There wasn't much left to do- he'd done everything imaginable over the time that had passed -and he didn't have the energy anymore to try what few new things were left. He was impatient for his parents and his sister and, with each passing day, the feeling grew more intense as a hollow hole in his chest grew bigger.

It was getting so bad he didn't go downstairs much anymore and Cujo, who had always been an obedient pet, would wander upstairs to check on him, occasionally sticking around for a while before he went back downstairs to his domain. Danny wanted to be with the large hound more often and always begged him to stay when he came upstairs. However, the rules were the rules and Cujo didn't want to be punished. The boy wanted to go downstairs some days but he didn't think he had enough energy to get back upstairs, should the monster come out of hiding unexpectedly, as he always did.

So upstairs he stayed, doing nothing as he lounged in his room and waited and waited and waited…

There was another flash of lightning before the thunder rumbled throughout the land, sounding very much like a low, menacing growl. The wind howled a chorus of mournful cries, scaling all sorts of pitches before dying away again. Though all the other sounds had faded away, the rain continued to _pitter-patter_ and _clink_ on his window. The rainwater spilled over the collapsing and clogged gutters, creating a small waterfall right in Danny's field of vision, giving him something new to look at when everything in his life had become so dull and bland.

Through it all, Basket continued to smile and silently begged Danny to get up and do something, despite the exhaustion he felt. Roll one of the toy cars around or make something with the Legos; anything would do for Basket. The boy silently fought back though, stating all the facts about how his energy was all but drained, giving him no desire to do anything but lay down, waiting forever for his parents to come and sweep him away from his drab residence. That didn't stop Basket though, who continued to plea and beg to do something, for that's all he wished Danny would do.

There was another long, lonely howl from the wind, who sang Danny's emotions when he couldn't. It was quickly followed by a shuddering _BANG_ and a yelped, "Tucker, I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Shooting up, Danny looked over his shoulder and at the wide yawning that was his doorway, feeling his heart pound against his rib-cage. A creeping feeling of hope had started to enter his chest, like so many times before, drawing his energy back to him. Ears perked to attention as the boy listened for another sound of life in the house. He was thrilled to hear a male voice reply, "Come on, Sam! That was an accident! Not my fault I can't see in pitch black like you tell me you can!"

"Yeah, yeah, just get a move on. I don't appreciate being cold and wet."

 _Visitors!_ Danny realized excitedly, a beaming smile appearing on his face. Sure, they didn't sound like anybody he knew or had seen before but, at this point, that was ok with him. It'd been a long time since anyone had stopped by, even the nameless man with the silver hair. It was part of the reason he felt like he'd lost so much energy. With no one to at least partially interact with, he felt less obligated to be playful.

Scrambling to the edge of the bed, Danny grunted as he fell to his feet by the side of his bed. Quick as a bullet, the young boy scurried towards the door and exited, barely stopping himself in time to call over his shoulder, "Be back in a little while, Basket!" Then he was off again, racing for the stairs and rushing down them like there was no tomorrow. Halfway down, he stopped and pressed his face against the railings, looking down into the living room for the people that had suddenly decided to investigate.

It was easy enough to find them. They were standing in the middle of the room, getting as far from the doorway as possible, for rain was spilling through the holes, curtesy of the singing wind. It drenched a few feet into the house and the howling wind swept throughout the room, making the drenched two shiver as they squeezed out their hair and clothes. Plastic cases with sealed edges littered the ground by their feet, wet but protecting the contents inside. Cujo was gone but he was probably just in another room, lounging around and doing nothing in particular.

With a beaming smile, Danny looked the two newbies up and down, noticing they were a little bit younger than the visitors the house usually received. The first was an African American male with a red beret, interesting turquoise eyes, and water-splattered glasses. As so many others were, he was dressed casually in a long-sleeved, yellow shirt and cargo pants. He had plain brown boots covering his feet and, in his hands, the male held some sort of device Danny didn't know the name of but noted that it looked like a phone.

Standing a few feet from the boy was a Caucasian female with gleaming, violet eyes. Her hair was colored the same as Danny's, though it was cut into a short bob with half of it pulled back into a loose ponytail. She wore a short-sleeved shirt with a purple oval in the middle, though a plain, ebony jacket was half-zipped up over it. She had purple leggings tucked into black boots, a black mini-skirt flowing over it. Her purple lips were twisted into an irritated frown.

"Of all the days we could've done this and we chose the day that it rains cats and dogs." The girl stated, grimacing as she wrung her ponytail out. A small waterfall was squeezed out and, once done, the girl shook her hands in an attempt to free herself of all the water clinging to her pale, goose bump-ridden flesh. "I mean, I like rain. Really, I do. But this is just ridiculous. Why didn't we just stay at our dorm and watch horror movies?"

The male, who wrung his soaking hat out with a distasteful look before plopping it back on his head, turned to his friend. "As much as I would've preferred to do that, this is the day we got permission to investigate. Besides, we should probably get this out of the way as soon as possible because of you-know-who."

At the mention of another person, Danny perked and looked around, expecting to see someone pop out of nowhere. However, it just remained to be the two young adults, soaking wet and dripping all over the charred floor. For a moment, he frowned before shaking away his disappointment, allowing himself to be content with the two hot messes standing in his living room. A smile graced his face as he watched the two continued to be agitated over the weather, a giggle escaping his throat and tumbling out between his lips.

"Speaking of which, where is she? We were all supposed to meet up here at this time." The black-haired female asked, giving up on drying her clothes completely and bending down beside one of the cases. As she opened it, Danny saw the equipment he had become accustomed to over the years that could pick up his movements since no one else could. The young woman started turning them on, making sure they were working before turning them off again and moving to the next.

The male looked at the strange device- the one Danny didn't know existed before now -and replied, "She said she got held up at class longer than usual. She had Mr. Stephen and he was going off into one of his stories again."

"Oh, Mr. Stephen…" The female muttered under her breath. "Such a nice guy but so nutty sometimes…"

Snorting in agreement, the dark-skinned man kneeled down beside another one of the cases and began going through it, just as his female friend was. "She texted me though and said we should start without her. I told her we'll catch her up when she shows."

"Sounds like a plan." The female commented, hardly looking up from her work. The two worked in silence from then on, boring Danny without realizing it. Nonetheless, the boy stayed in his spot on the staircase, forehead pressed against the railings as his arms dangled loosely by his side. A sigh fell from his lips, boredom setting in once again. Gently, he banged his head against the chipped spokes in front of him, muttering something along the lines of 'kill me' as he waited for something interesting to happen.

The male with the hat commented something about the house being creepy, exasperating Danny in the process as he rolled his eyes, stating, "It's _not creepy_!"

"Not really." The female stated, getting Danny to throw his hands in the air victoriously as she looked over at her friend, a small smirk gracing her face. The other adult gave a dry glare out of the corner of his eye, obviously knowing where she was going with her statement. "After all, according to you, nothing can be creepier than my dorm-room in all its amazing gloriousness."

"And your room still manages to make this place look a five-star hotel. What sort of person plays thunderstorm sounds constantly?" The man replied with, his face morphing into a slightly disturbed expression as he thought about his friend's residence. It melted into a glare as the young woman raised both of her hands, looking rather happy with herself. The male said, "Besides you, oh-mentally-disturbed-one."

"Hey, our little psychiatrist-in-training says I'm fine!"

"'In-training' is the only part I hear."

Laughing under his breath, Danny grinned down at the two young adults bickering. He bounced in his seat, blue eyes sparkling with joy as he cooed happily. His hands were relaxed around the railings in front of him and part of him wished that he was tall enough to see overtop of the banister so he wouldn't have tall spokes in his field of vision.

Down below, the two continued to quarrel and bicker, even though their arguments tended to be about the pettiest of subjects. At least Danny could understand what they were saying, when so many other adults had talked circles around him. It always confused him, giving him headaches that sent him to his room to lay face-down on the mattress, groaning at the complexity of being older and more mature. The boy told himself he didn't want to grow up _ever_. It was way too much work.

However, he was starting to wonder if all adults were mature because the ones arguing in front of him were still bickering over rain noises and their mental health… At least they were amusing while they did so.

With growing amusement, Danny giggled as the two's voices continued to rise in volume and pitch to the point they might as well have been battling for the title of 'loudest noise in the county.' Luckily, they had already checked all of their equipment so their argument was only taking up time they could be using to do…whatever it is they were gonna do this time around. Finally, the male groaned, completely drowned out by the girl's screams, before yelling, "ALRIGHT, SHUT UP!"

Danny snickered.

Though he expected her to be, the young woman was hardly phased with the shout that shut the duo up. They just glared at each other, eyes on the verge of twitching. Obviously, sharp shouts were commonly used amongst them to stop their fights and let them die. Even still, the irritated resentment still stuck, though it was just a conditioned response they'd trained themselves to do.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" The man asked, gesturing to the open cases full of equipment. For a moment, it seemed like the girl would pursue the earlier argument, probably just for kicks, but she nodded instead. Relieved, the man began unpacking what he wanted while the girl did the same, gathering up certain instruments and leaving others in their cases. Quickly enough, the duo was all set and ready to begin their investigating, completely unaware that a small, little boy watched them from the staircase, doing just the same thing they were aiming to do.

Quickly enough, they were set and ready. After speaking into a recorder, stating the date and time and other such vital information for later use, the duo was ready to begin the actual investigation. Like most investigators before them, they decided to stay in the first level for a little while before wandering up to the second level, where they would continue to talk to the air and ask it questions, obliviously waiting for answers that may or may not come to them from an invisible figure they weren't entirely sure existed.

"Alright, before we begin," The female called out to the air around her as she swiveled her meters around. To Danny's displeasure, they were just the ones that had a swinging needle. There were no fancy lights or sounds, like some other people used, but he didn't voice his irritation. "my name's Sam and this is my arch-rival, Tucker, for any person that still may be hanging around the house! I hope you can hear me over the rain and the wind!"

"No one probably can though."

" _Shut up_ , Tucker."

Another cackle came from Danny as he held a hand to his mouth to hide them, even though no one but Basket or Cujo could hear him. The young boy decided that he liked these two young adults very much. They weren't as professional as so many others were and knew how to have fun with their job, even when they wanted to rip each other's heads off. It was refreshing from the usually serious, stoic figures that were constantly entering the house.

With that thought in mind, Danny got up from his seat and hopped down the rest of the steps. His footsteps were loud and he vaguely heard Sam ask Tucker if he heard something. He shrugged at her uncertainly, looking around cautiously at the blackened room around them, shivering as the wind blew through the door and wrapped around them, enwrapping them in a chilly breeze as their clothes continued to drip occasionally.

Danny landed with a small _thump_ on the floor and, excitedly, he scampered over to the two adults and stood a small distance from him. His head swiveled back and forth between the two, a beaming smile plastered across his face as he waited for the typical questions he'd be more than happy to answer at the moment.

"Alright, so, um…" Tucker mumbled, looking around the house and jumping as thunder _cr-r-rack_ ed abruptly, on the verge of shaking the house. Sam jumped too but she laughed breathlessly quickly afterwards. However, the shock stayed with the boy as he helplessly squeaked, "So, you hanging around us, Danny? I don't feel like talking to air, especially after the last house Sam and I visited…"

"Yeah, that was pathetic." Sam stated, shaking her head and clicking her tongue in disappointment.

Giggling at the two's different displays of emotion, Danny tapped one of their meters in Tucker's and watched as he set it off. The needle inside swiveled back and forth, making the man's eyes go wide, before the needle abruptly stopped, completely still, as if nothing had ever happened. Snapping, the man quickly got his friend's attention, saying, "Dude, I just got a hit. It was of moderate power so I don't think it's any kind of fluke."

"Are you serious? We never get hits this early into an investigation." Sam stated, looking torn between believing her friend and smacking him. Instead of doing either, she just gave a deadpan look instead, waiting to see what happened.

Tucker gestured wildly to his meter, a shocked expression still plastered across his face. It amused Danny thoroughly to see him flustered as Tucker said, "Does it look like I'm screwing with you?! Do I really?!"

"I don't know. Are you?" Completely serious. Not a hint of sarcasm on her face.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"Nope."

"Use your inside voice, Tucker! Geez!" Danny said with his beaming smile, rolling his eyes teasingly, though no one could see it. Another laugh fell from his lips as he bounced in his spot, humming gently to a tune he vaguely remembered. He wasn't sure where it came from or who introduced it to him but he still sung to it occasionally.

Tucker mimicked strangling someone- aka Sam -in his hands, eye twitching in irritation. The female only smiled in dark amusement before she waved flirtatiously. Then, ignoring the flustered man, Sam swiveled her meter around, looking for the thing that had set her friend's off. Violet eyes dodging around in an attempt to see any other figure, the young woman asked, "Danny, are you really out there or was that just Tucker being an idiot?"

"There are days I genuinely want to kill you. Today is one of those days."

The needle on Sam's meter swung back and forth, moving over green and yellow sections. Raising an eyebrow in surprise at the intelligent reply she received, Sam stated, "Damn, Tucker. It looks like you're not totally losing your mind. My meter just went off too."

"HA!" The man yelled, pointing at his friend victoriously while also seemingly going crazy at the same time. "I told you! I told you he answered but _noooo_ ~! I have to be a complete nut-case!"

"Well, the nut-case _can't_ be me- I'm too frikkin fabulous for that -so it _must_ be you." Sam replied. She even had the whole female head-swivel thing going on, which amused Danny to no end as he watched the two continue to bicker, clapping in his spot between the two.

As Tucker replied indignantly to his female friend, even though it would get him nowhere, Danny found his attention becoming drawn to the window as a dark, tall figure passed by quickly. He tilted his head curiously as the shadow continued on, passing all the windows before coming to the door. As the figure appeared in the doorway, Danny could see it was a girl, maybe a little older than the ones currently in the midst of another fight, with orange-red hair and far from amused teal eyes, wearing a large, dark-colored rain coat over her clothes. As she slipped through the door, the young woman asked, "Don't you two _ever_ give it a rest?"

Once again, the two weren't phased by the sudden interjection that cut off their argument, though they did seem pleased that the woman finally showed up. Danny watched as faint, happy smiles graced their faces. The duo shrugged casually as one before Sam said, "Not really. It's in our nature as enemies to see the other one burn."

Tucker nodded in agreement, as if his female friend's statement was totally normal.

The unnamed woman pulled her hood from her face, revealing her hair to be in a high-ponytail with a teal hair-band tucked behind her ears. She shrugged the jacket off, revealing a dry, long-sleeved, black t-shirt with dark-wash jeans and worn, white sneakers. Her expression was still morphed into a dry look, though it was starting to look affectionate towards the duo. "You two are nuts."

"But Tucker's more nuts than I am."

"SAM, KNOCK IT OFF."

The three all started when they thought they heard a faint laugh over the pounding rain, slow-rolling thunder, and singing wind. The sound died from their ears quickly and, together, the three looked between their group and then the room around them nervously, despite the laugh sounding very childlike and innocent. The orange-red haired female asked, "Uh… Do you guys think that might have been the wind? I mean, it's very noisy today…"

"Yeah, howling like a pack of dogs, not laughing." Sam stated, still searching for the origin of the noise, oblivious to the fact it stood only a few feet away from her. Though most of the time it annoyed him, Danny found the group's ignorance amusing to watch for once. With sparkling blue eyes, the small boy watched as Sam turned her head back to the other woman, saying, "You missed it but we already got hits on the meters. They were intelligent replies. It seems to be Danny; he keeps responding to the name."

Just to spook her, the child in question tapped Sam's meters again and she just barely saw it from the corners of her eyes. It made her jump at the suddenness before she showed the ticking needle to the newcomer, saying, "See?"

Though he expected her to be thrilled with the news, the new woman frowned and saddened at the proof of the invisible figure inside the house. It confused Danny, causing him to drop his influence over the meter and let it die, since everyone else had come through had been overjoyed to find out he was there. It confused him more when Sam and Tucker's expressions dropped too at their friend's obvious dismay. Curiously, the boy asked, "What's the matter?"

No one heard him but he was used to that, he guessed. Silently, Danny blinked as Tucker asked, "Are you sure you wanna do this, Jazz?"

Jazz.

Danny froze at the name, shocked. Without realizing it, he mumbled, "My sister's name is Jazz."

The new girl, the one that shared the same name as a small girl with the same colored hair and the same love for blue hairbands, only nodded, her sadness turning into determination as she shakily looked around the house. She went over to the cases sitting on the ground, bent down, and picked up the equipment she liked to use. Then she stood back up, hiding whatever sorrow she harbored inside herself as she said, "Yeah. Let's do this, guys."

That set the original duo completely straight, respectfully nodding their heads at Jazz's wishes. They quickly went back to work, unaware of the small boy in the middle of the room as he spectated everything with a pair of confused and horror-filled blue eyes. The orbs were wide as he watched everything fall into place and, hesitantly, he stepped over to where the new female was starting up her favored equipment, asking the air around her, "You still out there, Danny?"

The question went in one of the boy's ears and quickly slipped out the other. He was too enraptured with the much taller female to answer. Danny struggled to understand what was going on while he studied Jazz's face, barely clutching the edges of her jeans, much like a younger sibling would when they were scared and their older sibling was nearby. However, the boy didn't dare tug to get her attention. He wasn't overly sure he wanted it at the moment and, terrified and confused, Danny asked, "Are you who I think you are?"

Unfortunately for the room's occupants, it was like the small boy hadn't spoken at all. The adults were focused on their machines, waiting for something to pop up, much like it had happened not too long ago. However, to their confusion, there was nothing from the small boy. The meters stayed still and dead, not even twitching slightly. Confused, the trio looked between each other, searching for answers none of them had. Sam looked up, staring at the ceiling as she called, "Danny?"

There was still nothing and the boy continued to look up at the oldest of the three in disbelief and worry. His fingers weaved through her jeans and Danny tried to his best to make it unnoticeable. His tactics must've been working, for the woman didn't look down, though she did shift her weight from one leg to the other. It didn't affect Danny, however. He merely said, "My sister has the same colored hair you do."

"Where do you think he went?" Tucker asked the other two, getting confused shrugs in return. An uneasy frown sprouted on his face, which quickly appeared on the women's faces.

"She had the same hairband too and the color of your eyes." Danny stated, all but ignoring everything the trio said and did. It meant so little now when there was something more important to focus on, something more important to try and understand. Danny still wasn't entirely sure he fully understood the gravity of the situation. The rest of the world felt very far away all of the sudden and the only thing keeping him even mildly grounded was his hands tangled up in Jazz's jeans.

Uncertainly, the orange-red haired female looked at the steps, thinking about the level they led to. With hesitant, careful steps, Jazz began meandering towards the staircase. She didn't feel it but Danny continued to cling to her jeans lightly, right on her heels as he followed her towards the stairs. His blue eyes continued to gaze up at the taller figure's face. The other two's eyes followed Jazz and then glanced at each other, asking each other a question with no obvious answer. Sam and Tucker both looked back when Jazz paused at the bottom of the staircase, staring fearfully at the dark hole in the staircase. With the smallest of quivers in her voice, the young woman said, "I'm going to check upstairs. You guys keep working everything down here, ok?"

"We will as long as you'll be ok." Tucker stated seriously, giving his friend a serious stare over the edge of his water-spotted glasses.

Masking her unease with irritation, Jazz shot the male a look. "I'll be fine, Tucker. Call me if you guys get any hits."

"As long as you do the same." Sam interjected, nodding her head.

In return, Jazz nodded her own head before turning towards the staircase again. She began the climb, oblivious to the small child trying to keep up with her as he worked his way up the steps as well, hell-bent on keeping close to her. Jazz worked her way easily around the hole in the steps, hardly flinching as she did, and Danny grunted as he jumped over it, still trying to only keep a few paces behind the woman. The small child barely managed to do so and, when they finally reached the second floor, Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he trudged after the woman as she wandered over to an open door that led to a bubblegum pink room, undeterred by the climb.

Just like the unnamed man with the silver hair sometimes did when he visited, Jazz stopped in the doorway and looked inside, gazing at the little girl's room that was forever stuck in time. A small smile twitched onto the woman's face as she looked around the dark room, the rain pounding on the cloudy window across from the two and casting long shadows across the walls. The dolls with the faded faces were still stuck in place, ready to be picked up and played with again.

A content but sad sigh fell from between the woman's lips. Danny looked between the room and Jazz, noting how out of place she would look if she were to venture inside. The bubblegum pink walls and the My Little Pony sheets on the bed didn't fit with the image of the mature, young adult standing in the doorway. The past met with the present and clashed badly.

The two only lingered for a small time before they moved on. Danny followed her past the hall bathroom and the impersonal guest room, meandering right up to the master bedroom. Jazz didn't linger in this doorway this time, walking straight in with Danny at her heels and fist clutched around the edges of her faded denim trousers. Together, the two walked across the carpeted floor and stopped beside the desk. The girl had to look down at it while Danny couldn't see over the top of it without help.

Reaching down, Jazz picked up one of the frames that the man with the silver hair frequently stared at when he visited, talking to Danny, even though the small boy couldn't be seen. It was the picture with Momma, Daddy, Jazz, and him, all happy and smiling as the camera flashed, capturing their happiness forever, even if it didn't stick around. Dust didn't cover the glass too badly, like the other ones sitting on the desk, but Jazz wiped the few, clinging specks nonetheless.

Staring up, Danny did nothing but blink, trying to understand.

The content but sad smile still lingered on the woman's face, though her eyes had grown misty. With shaky hands, she turned the frame over and undid the clasps holding the picture in place. She took the back out, pinching the picture inside and pulling it out. The frame clattered as it was set on the desk again in pieces, Jazz holding the bare photo in her hand reverently while Danny tilted his head, wondering why and how a flimsy, fragile picture held so much meaning to her.

Carefully as she could, Jazz folded the picture in two before sliding it into her pocket. Then she started looking through the other frames, wiping the dust aside and setting them back down when the photos inside wasn't the one she was looking forward. From the small glimpses Danny saw, they were all happy photos, of smiling children and laughing parents in a time when everything was carefree. He didn't understand why the young woman continued to reject them for something else until she came across one that made her pause, sighing in relief as she started to slip the picture from the frame, just as she had done with the one of the family.

Danny didn't get a chance to see this one though. Jazz quickly slipped it into her pocket to join the first picture. Then she turned back towards the door and trekked towards it. Danny, startled by the sudden move, yelped before stumbling after the older woman, still holding her jeans in his grip desperately as he tried to keep up with Jazz, the one with the longer legs.

The duo quickly went to the other side of the hallway, where Danny's open bedroom door hung half-open. Jazz abruptly stopped a few feet in front of it, suddenly looking terrified. Danny, still in the motion of walking, nearly toppled over again and yelped as he brought himself to a stop. With a pout molded into his features, the small boy looked up at the girl and whined, "What'd you do that for?"

However, the utter terror on the young woman's face sobered the small boy. "It's just my room."

Together, the two stayed stopped in the middle of the hallway, one looking into the open yawning of a doorway and the other looking up at the other, blinking slowly. It was a small eternity before either of them did anything, allowing Jazz to calm her emotions and for Danny to turn his head towards his room, wondering what about it caused the female to react so badly at the sight of it. Soon enough, the two were slowly walking inside the room and Danny, for the first time in a long time, released the fabric of Jazz's jeans, standing by his bed as he watched her wander around, picking things up, investigating them, and putting them back down again.

Eventually, Jazz came around to the bed, sitting at the foot of it and looking at the stuffed animal lying silently just a little bit a ways from her, setting her meter down beside her. Danny stood beside the female, watching carefully to see what she would do. He clearly saw her eyeing his stuffed animal but, unlike all the other people who had looked at it the same way, Danny felt no need to keep the animal safe from Jazz's grasp. Some part of him knew she would be gentle with it, mindful that it belonged to him and it was his prized possession.

Unsurprisingly, Jazz picked up the stuffed husky a few seconds after staring at it blankly. With a soft grasp around Basket's body, Jazz picked it up and brought it to her lap, setting it down gently. She ran through her hands through its dirty, matted fur, turning its gaze up to her. Her misty, blue eyes met the button ones as she mumbled, "Oh Basket, I forgot all about you…"

Danny reached over Jazz's arm and stroked the toy, asking, "How could you forget Basket? He's amazing."

The words went unheard, as usual. Jazz continued to stare down at the stuffed animal draped across her lap, remembering the sounds of a boyish laugh in the very back of her mind that had always accompanied the sight of the stuffed toy. However, the laugh was very far away to her, almost completely gone. It didn't sound very personal anymore either, like the original sound had been replaced with a generic boy's laugh. Sure, there were still hints of the young boy that had cackled at everything but even those small hints were starting to fade from her memory.

"You there, Danny?" Jazz asked, looking down at the meter by her side. She was rather surprised to see the needle tick back and forth a few times before stopping, becoming still once again. A grin didn't break across her face though; she only mumbled a 'humph.' Her eyes adverted to Basket again, her glassy eyes becoming even more so. "I figured you would be. This was your favorite toy and you always played in your room. You always made such a mess when you did."

The simple comment would've made Danny stomp and flat-out disagree but Jazz used such a resigned, unhappy tone of voice. The young boy didn't like it and wanted to make her perk up but he didn't know how. Instead, he stayed silent, stroking Basket's head gently as he rested the side of his head against the woman's arm.

He was oblivious to the way she stiffened and perked to attention, though Jazz didn't dare move her arm.

Looking down at the spot beside her, Jazz imagined a small boy there with ebony hair and blue eyes. Slowly, the young woman said, "My name's Jazz. I don't know if you remember me anymore, Danny, but I'm your older sister. It's been a long time since we've gotten together, hasn't it?"

Though some part of his brain had already pieced this simple information together, Danny still stiffened against the woman. His eyes became as misty as hers and he shook his head, looking up at her. He didn't understand how _this_ person could be his older sister. "But Jazz isn't-you're not-you can't be an adult! Jazzy is only two years older than I am! She's a kid too! I've only been here for a little while! How can you grow up in such a short time?"

There was nothing but silence for the young woman as she pulled out one of the photos from her pocket, opening it up and holding it out in front of her, hoping Danny might be able to see it from his spot, wherever he was. "I don't know about you but it's been a little too long for me. I feel bad for not coming sooner but I didn't think I'd be able to get through the front door if I came any sooner. If you were so hard to think about, how could I possibly think about coming to visit you?"

Leaning forward, Danny studied the picture with desperate eyes. Painted across the paper with ink was a moment of peace for two children. Little Jazz and tiny Danny sat on the ground with the younger of the two sitting between the older's legs. The small girl was lovingly cradling her tired brother in her arms as the boy nodded off, eyes droopy and far away. The two were nestled in a blue blanket that may be anywhere in the house, rotting away or dead by now.

The young boy looked between the photo and the woman sitting on the edge of his bed. He could see the similarities, sure. They were screaming at him now and it was starting to physically hurt looking at the photo because that was apparently _long_ in the past. And the worst part was, it wasn't that he had missed his sister grow up or couldn't grow up himself or even that a large amount of years had gone by him that hurt the worst. No, what made him ache the most was that his family had all seemingly gone on living life without him, moving on and placing him in the back of their minds, when he had been here, in the house, waiting and hoping that they would come back for him soon so things could go back to the way they were before the fire had hit.

A tear escaped Jazz's eye and slid quickly down her face, matching the one falling from Danny's blue orbs. It dripped off her chin and landed on the photograph. She wiped it away quickly so there wouldn't be any lasting damage while Danny watched his tears just dissipate into the air as soon as they left his skin. It made him cry harder.

"I miss you, Danny. I wish you hadn't gone back to get Basket. I wish Dad hadn't lost sight of you in the smoke." Jazz stated, choking up. She swallowed the lump in her throat so she could continue. "Oh God, I can't imagine what you must've felt like when you fell through the stairs and got trapped. I can't imagine what it must feel like now. Oh Danny, Danny, _Danny_ , I miss you so, _so_ much, Danny. I wish you hadn't died."

Danny's breath caught in his throat.

 _I wish you hadn't died._

He was dead? The hole in the stairs… That had been his doing? He'd died in the fire?

He was a _ghost_?

A sob escaped the young boy's throat as he pressed his small fists against his mouth to stop himself from crying. Still, the tears ran down his face as he registered his older sister's words. And no matter how much he wanted to throw them to the side, disregard them completely, continue with the same belief he had been for God alone knew how long, everything Jazz said made sense and he hated it.

Like a bullet, Danny shot to his sister and wrapped his arms around her middle, sobbing into her torso as she stiffened up at his touch, sucking in a breath as her fists tightened around the worn but beloved stuffed animal. Though the young boy sobbed and teardrops ran down his face, none stained the woman's shirt and soaked it. Desperately, Danny said, "Jazzy, I don't wanna be dead! I don't wanna be!"

Even little Danny knew that death was permanent.

The young boy continued to sob into his sister's shirt and, after some hesitation, Jazz wrapped her arms around the space she thought might be where Danny was, as she thought she felt him around her. The two of them stayed like that for a long time, Danny clinging to his sister while she attempted to hold his spirit while her hands shook, Basket trembling with her grip. Tears rolled down both of their faces and sobs fell from their lips.

Eventually, though, the two both began to calm. Their tears began to dry from their eyes, the flow going dry. They still continued their awkward hug of sorts, basking in the presence of the other after so much time had passed, allowing the female to grow up and mature while the boy stayed stuck in his four-year-old body for all of eternity, never having had the chance to blossom into a young adult like his older sibling had.

Calm enwrapped the two, calming their troubled minds. Behind them, the rain didn't pound so hard and the wind didn't sound so lonely anymore. The thunder stayed quiet out of respect.

As the two basked in their strange bond, their lips twitched into smiles as they heard Tucker yell, "BRING IT _ON_ , BITCH."

"OH, FUCK _YOU_ , BASTARD."

Wiping what remained of her earlier tears from her face, Jazz dropped her hands to rest on her spread legs, allowing room for Danny to stand between them as Basket rested on her knee. Jazz shakily laughed at her friend's antics as she said, "Well, I should probably go tell them to stop cursing in front of my little brother, huh Danny? Do you wanna go with me?"

The needle twitched and swung side to side.

A pleased smile made its way onto the young woman's face. She stood up, tucking the photograph back into the pocket of her jeans. Basket dangled from one of her arms as she grabbed her meter, walking back towards the bedroom door. Danny scampered after her, staying close at her heels as they wandered back down the hall, stepping down the staircase carefully.

This time, both of them flinched at the gaping hole in the staircase.

As they came to the bottom of the steps, the two turned to watch Sam and Tucker scream in each other's faces. Their meters were all but forgotten in their hands and their voices were loud enough to wake the sleeping dead. Unbeknownst to the complicated duo, Cujo sat at their feet, tongue lolling from his mouth as he panted, tail thumping against the ground in a pleased gesture.

"Guys!" Jazz yelled, instantly receiving the younger two's attention. They both froze under her deadpan gaze as she rubbed her temple with her hand, Basket tucked in the crook of her arm. A groan escaped her mouth as the two chuckled nervously at their display, both stating that the other started 'it,' whatever 'it' was. Jazz mumbled under her breath, "I don't know how you two haven't killed each other yet."

Both shrugged, not really caring to find out the answer. Tucker nodded towards the stuffed toy in Jazz's arm and asked, "What's with the plushy?"

Smiling gently, the young woman stroked the worn creature's head. Danny smiled proudly at the toy, holding onto his sister's jeans again with his pleased expression. Jazz's smile became a little larger when she thought she felt her baby brother and she said, "It was Danny's favorite toy. I want to keep it for sentimental value, you know?"

Danny tilted his head at the 'keep' part but both Sam and Tucker returned Jazz's smile with their own calm ones, nodding their heads in understanding. Neither of them dared to pursue a conversation about the dead little brother though. Instead, Sam waved her meter in the air and asked, "We haven't gotten any more evidence of Danny in the area. Do you wanna try to get anymore or do you wanna leave now?"

"Let's pack it up. I think we're done here." Jazz said, already moving over to the cases on the ground and placing her equipment back inside. The other two of the makeshift trio did the same without a word, letting whatever happened to their friend go unquestioned. Danny watched them pack up as he stood beside his sister's side, a frown starting to play on his lips. He started to wonder what he was going to do if Jazz left him and took Basket with her. Sure, he'd have Cujo but Basket was his best friend. He didn't know what he was going to do if something else was taken from him.

Worry ate at Danny's little heart, making him feel sick all over as he clung to Jazz's jeans desperately. He followed her everywhere, on the verge of sobbing again as he tried to think up solutions to his problem. Nothing came to him though and, even though the trio tossed back casual jokes and laughed, nothing eased his anxiety. It felt worse than when the monster was banging on the basement door, screaming to let him out, and now Danny had another reason to think about the figure trapped in the basement stairwell.

If Danny was a ghost, that meant the monster was a ghost too. The only problem was, how did he get there in the first place?

The question went unanswered, as did his begging for an answer to his plight. Then, as the adults began moving towards the door with their packed cases, the answer hit Danny like a ton of bricks.

He'd just go with Jazz and stay with her!

Almost instantly, the boy's problems lifted from his shoulder as he grinned, pleased with himself. As the three young adults started piling through the broken door, Danny started walking that way as he closed his eyes for a split second to bask in his victory. However, when he opened his eyes again, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were gone and replaced with roaring flames that blocked the closed, front door, seemingly repaired in an instant.

Shocked, Danny looked around and saw the entire room was engulfed in flames. Fire pooled and rolled across the ceiling like the waves of the ocean and the drapes across the dark windows shriveled up as the fire clawed at them desperately, eating everything in its path. The floorboards under him were burning too but Danny made no move to jump away. As he watched, Danny saw all the colors and furnishings he knew so well fade away, the fire taking all of the charm in the living room and changing it into a dark, deserted place that no one wanted to be and always called 'creepy.'

All the boy could hear was a dull roar as the flames overtook everything, spreading quickly throughout the house. Somewhere in the distance, glass shattered and splintered as wooden pieces of furniture groaned loudly at their treatment, toppling over and crashing into the floor as the flames continued to gobble everything it came across. Occasionally, embers went _pop!_ and sparks flew into the air, dazzling the air like fireflies before dying away, fluttering to the ground silently as nothing more than black ash.

Heat was all around him, closing in at all sides. The floorboards scorched his feet so badly his flesh almost felt frigid cold. The same was with the air, so stuffy but in such a way a person shivered while they sweated, much like they did when they burning with a fever. Still, Danny made no move to jump to a spot that wasn't so unbearable in temperature, taking the burning at his feet in stride as he continued to look around at the dark inferno he had suddenly become trapped in.

Through the smoke that made his eyes water, Danny watched the dancing shadows and wondered how there could be so many in a room full of nothing but flames. Fire gave light, right? Then why was it so hard to see? Surely, it wasn't all because of the smoke clouding his vision. It was really darkness, hiding behind the flames and creeping up at all sides, threatening to blind him completely.

As the floorboards scorched the young boy's feet and the smoke made him cry again, Danny slowly walked towards the door, ignoring the heat surrounding him. After all, he was a ghost. He could just walk through the flames and out the door, into the dreary day as the clouds sobbed and flooded the land with its tears. His sister and her friends would be there, still packing up and getting ready to leave. All he had to do was walk.

" _wHeRe ArE yOu GoInG, dAnNy? YoU'rE nOt LeAvInG mE, aRe YoU?_ "

Danny froze in his spot immediately. All heat drained from his limbs and now the flames really did feel cold. All the heat had disappeared, even though the flames continued to circle and twirl around him. Though he didn't want to, Danny looked over his shoulder and watched the basement door with his terrified blue orbs.

" _oH dAnNy, WhY wOuLd YoU lEaVe Me So? ArEn'T wE fRiEnDs~?_ "

The child's head snapped back to the door in front of him as the flames suddenly zipped in front of it, a large wave blocking his exit when they'd barely been his height a minute before. They molded together, creating the barest image of Jazz wagging her finger at him in a 'no-no' way before dispersing back into shapeless flames that flickered and danced, creating darkness and light all at the same time somehow.

"I'm leaving!" Danny shouted determinedly, glaring at the flames before shooting it over his shoulder in the direction of the basement door. Though fear shown in his blue orbs, it was pushed to the back. It was put there by the steely resolve in the young boy's eyes as he told himself that he had to leave _now_ or he might not at all. "And you can't stop me! I'm tired of staying here and I'm tired of _you_!"

" _Aw,_ _BuT yOu cAn'T lEaVe Me! I'm AlL yOu HaVe, DaNnY~!_ "

"Not anymore!" Danny screeched, looking back towards the flames covering his exit before he looked back down towards his arms and down his body. He took in the scorched fabrics he wore and blackened spots all across his pale flesh. The crusty edges of his bangs fell in his face. All of it reminded him that he'd been burned before but he had yet to be bested, despite having died. He might as well get something out of it, no?

The boy took one step forward, getting one pace closer to the twirling, dancing flames. A rush of heat roared past him, throwing his ebony hair back. Danny squinted his eyes, feeling them tear up at the sudden heat blast and blinking rapidly to get them to stop burning so badly. His arms shot out in front of him, trying to brace himself against the invisible force trying to hold him back. He wanted nothing to do with the house any longer.

" _dOn'T lEaVe Me, DaNnY~! yOu HaVe To LeT mE oUt~!_ "

Danny all but ignored the voice, trembling as he walked headfirst into the flames covering the door. The heat intensified all around him as the blaze tangled itself all over his body. The flames circled around and it burned him all over again, a faint memory resurfacing at the unbearable feeling. He knew if he just backed down, though, it'd all go away but Danny was tired of this fucking house, waiting an eternity for something that wouldn't happen. It was time for him to do something about his problem.

It seemed like a few forevers went by as the boy tried to reach the door. Sometimes it didn't seem like he was getting anywhere at all, no matter how many steps he took through the flames still trying to wrap around him completely to drag him back. Sometimes, they managed to drag him back a pace or two before he shook the flames off. However, his effort wasn't in vain. Soon enough, his blackened fingers were gracing against the burning front door. With another push, Danny felt his fingers slip through the faint memory of the door, managing to finally make those last few steps.

" _ **dOn'T yOu DaRe LeAvE mE, dAnNy! I nEeD yOu! GeT bAcK hErE!**_ "

The boy refused to answer him, groaning as he continued to push against the burning ropes still trying to hold him back. His blue eyes were closed shut tightly, keeping his eyes safe from the overbearing smoke closing in all sides around him. Sweat dripped down the boy's face, though it evaporated quickly into the air, sizzling as it did. The only bright side was that his hands were almost fully through the door now; his fingers had all but disappeared and, soon enough, his wrists would be the same.

" _ **gEt BaCk HeRe NOW, dAnNy! YoU'rE nOt LeAvInG!**_ "

"Yes. I. AM!" Danny screeched before all the binds around him suddenly dispersed. He fell through the door, landing on the creaking deck outdoors with a rough grunt. Cold air hit him at all sides, cooling him down instantly as the clouds continued to cry, though the rain was now nothing more than a drizzle. Turning his head, he could see the three adults talking as they closed the trunk to one of their cars, not minding the thin rain now that it wasn't completely drenching them to the bone.

Looking over his shoulder, Danny looked back into the house. The door was half-hanging onto the doorframe again and just inside the entryway was still soaked from the blowing rain earlier. The walls had turned black again and all the furniture was back to its crumbling glory. Cujo stood just inside the door, wagging his tail as he looked at him with his bloodshot eyes, green paint still matting his fur and making it crusty as he looked at him.

But, overall, the house was silent.

Danny quickly scrambled to his feet and then patted his thighs, calling, "Cujo! Come here, boy! Come here!"

The Saint Bernard had no problems answering the call of his small master. He trotted over to the doorway and slipped through one of the many holes, coming up on Danny's side, smiling and panting and wagging his bushy tail. Danny smiled and scratched the hound's head before turning, walking towards the steps. Cujo pattered beside him happily, his claws scraping against the rotting boards quietly. Danny hopped down the steps and scampered over to where Jazz was getting in her car, placing Basket in the front passenger seat with a content smile on her face.

However, Cujo didn't follow. Danny turned around, confused. He called the hound again, waving for the dog to follow him. However, Cujo sat down at the edge of the steps, seemingly unconcerned with the fact his young master was going to leave him. The car started up behind him and Danny called for Cujo again. The dog didn't listen, still sitting at the edge of the steps. The boy frowned before looking back and forth at the car and the hound. Unhappily, Danny ducked into the car and climbed up onto the front seat, looking out the window as Jazz began to back out of the driveway, quickly followed by Sam and Tucker.

As the car bumped as they slipped into the cul-de-sac, Danny's eyes widened as he watched Cujo's form melt away, nothing but a mist of shapeless colors before that too was gone. Even still, the sight made Danny content and happy, a small smile appearing on his face, though he didn't understand why. Humming, he curled up around Basket again, looking over at his sister as she obliviously kept her eyes on the road.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Danny heard a tiny voice call, " _Don't leave me, Danny… Don't leave me… Let me out…_ "

It faded away quickly after being ignored and Danny, feeling truly happy for the first time in a long time, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, humming a song under his breath.

* * *

 **Before I wrote the chapter: Alright, I'm gonna make this light-hearted and Danny's gonna like all the ghost-hunters and nothing bad will happen!** **After I wrote the chapter: ... _WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?_ *repeatedly slams head into desk in front of me***

 **ANYWAYS. This damned chapter is for my awesome buddy and twin sister, Sweetykinz! It was her birthday not too long ago and, as the failure I am, I got this out late! Nonetheless, it is for her because she wanted Medium and was like, "Hehe, make it forty pages long~!" (Hehe, the little bitch was joking but I DID IT, NONETHELESS. HAHA! VICTORY IS MINE! (I love you. *nervous chuckle*))**

 **It feels weird to be done...but at the same time...NOW I GOTTA GO WORK ON FICTIONPRESS. SHIT. IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS. *chucks papers behind me before running to the site, screaming hysterically***

 **I will be shocked if anyone makes it to the end of this terribly long chapter. XD Oh and sorry for the last supposed ch.8 update. I was sick that day and that chapter was for a different story I was working on at the time. Hehe, seriously... Terribly sorry but at least I now know that a bunch more people than I thought like it? XD**

 **And because I haven't done this in chapters (who knows why though?), thank for favoriting/following: _3master, Al Baker, AltoValGal, Ariel Night, animesmile147, Adewin, Angel Frog, animefan146, BBRAE623, Blackthorne Ashe, Blazingkill, BlueCharizardFire, Bunnibutch, BurningRosethorn, bluecandy2007, braveheartcrzy, bukluvr3, bleach-chyc-eevee, CaseClosed621, Cheza Takehashii, Chise Sakamoto, Chooch77, Clancey1018, ColorlessRainbow42, charge phantom, cheerfullygrim, cottoncandy95, DC-Hannah Falls, DCWarrior, Da Chaos Mistress, DigiPokeNinjaDragon Fangirl, DigitalKites, djett4, dorsettr2, DDJ, Danny Fowl the Ranger, Darkness Forgotten, evildarkkitten, Fear the Fuzzy Bear, FlopsyTheStingyDingo, GhostAnn, Glacio Koro, GreenDrkness, HiHelloIWeird, halofannumber1, IWillNeverAdmitToThis, Jedexa, Jenna Utena, KingOfWhispers, KitCat97, KuriMaster13, kairi102, kitkatkate2008, Ladnik, Lilyqz, Luna-tic4580, LungaleMaster, MAD MATT 6813, Meika-Rei Z, Messiaus0015, MiaulinK, MoonStarlight1348, Myroleran, Mitochondria, Mystical Creatures Rock, NeoApex, Not-Gonna-Update, nyan-nyan-san, narutofan. rondarrius, owieeey, Pinpoint22, PyroKitsune, pirates99, Percy's Panda Pillow Pet, patriciahodnett, QueenofHearts7378, Reklaw41, Riyori, SaffireJ2, Schni10, Selene Dreamwalker, ShadowPhantom164, ShadowPillow, Sina Xiel, Sweetykinz_ (how long did it take you to show up?!) _, Sarra Torrens, ShiraYukiShadow, Skas Corosante102, Skylock, Stevonnieandpercabeth, sickly-wicked, skywright, souldew, sunnyVista, starwarsfan2296, TateRobinson35, The-Writer-Named-Nixon42, The Crossover Addict, The King's Knight, The Magnetic Witch, TheWhiteTitan, TuftsofCotton, TwilightsQuintessence, Veorie, Winter's Folly, whitt265, Xayal A, xForeverGamerx, YuugiYY, Yijasha, yazmin97, ZombiesArePeopleToo, zotinha456, ChibiTrutenLover, Founders' Child 21, frivoloushumdinger, cirno 999, King of Khaos._**


	9. Concerns

Ch.9: Concerns

Maddie Fenton was concerned.

In reality, she had been concerned for awhile now. It was hard not to be, with the things her baby boy was doing without reason. It was just…hard to come to terms with. Memories of a much harder time always popped up when she thought of her son's growing habit, and it was always easier to just push the problem aside to deal with later. Besides, people had assured her that specific _issue_ Danny had at the time would dissipate with the years. And they had. There had been no incidents after that event. It didn't make sense for the problem to come back now; thus, Maddie presumed, it hadn't. This was just something new they would have to deal with.

Of course, that didn't mean the idea ever went away completely. It liked to stay, snuggled in the back of the mother's mind, where it planted other horrible ideas that had Maddie praying Danny just had a mental problem they could fix with a few therapy sessions. It was a horrible thing to pray for, yes, but it was so much better than the alternative.

With these roaming thoughts caught in her head, Maddie paced the kitchen, occasionally checking the clock for the time. Today was the day she was going to sit Danny down to talk about his new habit. It wasn't going to be fun, and Maddie really wanted to put it off, but she'd been putting it off for weeks now. And she knew that if it didn't happen today, it wasn't going to happen at all. She'd just keep putting it off until something happened, and that would be a worse fate than this.

Looking at the clock again, Maddie frowned, wondering where Danny was. School had let out a long time ago, and he was usually home by now, up in his room and doing homework. She shouldn't be so worried; he was a teenager. He liked to go out and do things occasionally. However, Danny was good about texting her when he did things on the fly. Maddie tried to assure herself that her son had just forgotten- it happened; it wasn't a big deal –but that didn't stop her from worrying any. In fact, it made her feel worse, and there was no reasonable explanation as to why.

As time stretched on, Maddie continued to worry more and more. By the time she was supposed to begin dinner, both Jazz and Jack had already gotten home, but there remained no word of Danny's whereabouts from anybody. The worried mother easily convinced herself that her son had gotten into some kind of trouble; she just knew it. However, there were no phone calls from the hospital or the police department or the school or _anyone_ to tell her about her son. She even asked the boy's father and sister, but they hadn't heard anything either. Thus, Maddie waited with bated breath as she began to slowly go through her routine of making dinner for the family, never noticing when she made a mistake.

When the casserole Maddie prepared was finally in the oven, the woman picked up the phone. She punched in the numbers 911 and was just about to press 'enter' when the sounds of laughter outside the door made her pause. Maddie quickly went to the kitchen door-frame, where she looked outside the window to see the front door. All her anxieties vanished in an instant when she saw Danny padding up the front steps to the door, a doggy bag from his favorite hangout clutched in his hands.

Unfortunately, Maddie wasn't allowed reprieve long. She was quickly reminded of her earlier mission when Danny suddenly laughed at nothing as he grabbed the knob to the front door. He looked to the side and said something to the air beside him, though Maddie was unable to determine what it was that he stated. The boy stayed standing on the front stoop for a few minutes longer, passing forth muted quips between him and the air. Then he finally shook his head, muttered something else, and opened the door as he called, "I'm home!"

"Where were you, young man?" Maddie asked instantaneously, arms crossed as she continued to stand in the doorway. Her worry was clear across her face, causing Danny's content expression to drop as he realized what he'd forgotten to do. Maddie was slightly pleased that he was ashamed for causing her such worry but remained distressed, all the same.

With a nervous chuckle, Danny held up the greasy paper bag in his hand, the red Nasty Burger emblem stamped across it in faded ink. The boy shrugged and replied, "I went out for awhile with Sam and Tucker. I guess I forgot to text you. Sorry Mom. I didn't mean to worry you so much. I promise it won't happen again."

The boy's repenting sentences did nothing to placate Maddie. In fact, she even focused in on something he said, which only made her mood drop all the more.

Sam and Tucker… Supposedly, they were two friends Danny had at school. He'd told Maddie and his father that they were new to the town and that he'd love to have them over sometime, but ever since that conversation, Danny had only mentioned "Sam" and "Tucker" in passing. Danny even avoided the conversations of the two new kids meeting his parents or having them over for a sleepover. The Fenton parents hadn't even seen a picture of the two kids, nor had the two ever been present at any school functions. Maddie had questioned Danny on the matter, but he'd given her half-ass lies she easily saw through. And no matter how much Maddie poked and prodded, Danny never relented any new information on the two.

Maddie had, over time, pieced together why that was. "Sam" and "Tucker" had suddenly popped up around the same time Danny's bad habit had. And Danny's bad habit just so happened to be talking to the air around him for discernible reason. It had been a little amusing at first, watching Danny unintentionally make a fool out of himself without realizing it, but as time drew on and he continued his act… Well, it just got less and less funny.

The mother didn't mind imaginary friends (except when they ended up not being imaginary); in fact, she'd gone along with it when her son and daughter were little. But Danny was fourteen now. He shouldn't make imaginary friends and then go out to a public place with them as his company. He should be going out with _real, tangible_ friends, screwing up and having fun, as all teenagers did.

Fighting the urge to sigh at the situation, Maddie stated, "Danny, we need to talk."

The teen grew very somber with the quick, blunt statement. There must've been something in the woman's voice or expression that gave away the severity of the subject they were going to discuss one way or another. Danny, clueless as to what his mother was strung-up about, looked to his sides for help- another bad habit he'd developed –before his blue eyes came to rest back on Maddie. Slowly and cautiously, Danny asked, "What exactly do we need to talk about, Mom?"

Not answering, Maddie gestured for Danny to follow her into the kitchen. As she turned, Danny slowly trudged after her, obviously hesitant and cautious to find out what the topic of their discussion would be. Patiently, Maddie watched as her son entered the kitchen before sitting down him down at his usual seat at the kitchen table. For a moment, the mother paused, wondering if she should call her husband and add him to the attendee list. However, she dismissed the idea within a second. Maddie had tried to bring the subject of Danny's talking-to-air habit up to him plenty of times before, but Jack had been oblivious to the problem. (And people called Danny clueless.) Thus, it was easier to just have the conversation between her and her son.

Sitting across the table, Maddie studied her son's nervous face as he studied hers. They stared at each other for awhile, saying nothing, until Danny finally mustered up enough courage to ask, "So what is it that we need to talk about, Mom? I really do mean it when I say I won't forget to text you again. Honest. Today was a one-time deal."

Maddie had no doubt her son would ever let the event happen again, and she nodded to dismiss the subject already. Danny looked immensely uncomfortable with his folly not being the issue, and he squirmed in his seat, looking about the room as he tried to think up something he could say. However, before the teen could, Maddie asked, "So Danny, do you want to tell me about your friends Sam and Tucker?"

The question shocked the boy, and Danny stared at his mother in confusion, obviously wondering why the subject of his friends was coming up. To him, it didn't seem like an important matter, but who knew what was going on in his mother's head?

"Um, well, they're cool, I guess. They're just a couple of friends." Danny stated, shrugging his shoulders. Maddie didn't say anything, obviously waiting for her son to continue. However, Danny was at a loss for words, so he mumbled, "Tucker's a complete techno geek. Sam's a goth. But they're perfectly normal, I swear! Or, at least, they're as normal as it gets for high-school. Heh heh…"

Again, Maddie waited for Danny to continue, but Danny had nothing else to comment on. Thus, they sat at the table silently for a long time, with the mother staring at the son and the son staring at the table in front of him. The silence was deafening for a long while, until Maddie finally said with no cheer in her voice, "Well, they sound like wonderful people. You should have them over this weekend. Your father and I have been anxious to meet Sam and Tucker since you first talked about them that one day."

Looking immensely uncomfortable with the notion, Danny mumbled that he would talk about it with his friends. Maddie noticed he was beginning to look particularly guarded, and he avoided eye-contact with her. But then, she had expected as much from him. Danny had been using his nervous gestures to slip away from this conversation for awhile, Maddie letting him each time, but there was no way she was going to let him go tonight.

Danny occasionally looked up at the woman, trying to make out what was going on through her head. However, Maddie remained tight-lipped and deadly serious, which gave Danny zero information on wherever the woman was taking this conversation. The boy wanted to ask again what this discussion was supposed to be about, but he had a feeling Maddie would just ask one of her uncomfortable questions again.

Thus, the two sat at the table for a long time, saying nothing. Once again, it was Maddie who broke the silence, finally getting straight to the point. "Danny, are Sam and Tucker real?"

The question startled the boy. Danny looked up suddenly, staring at his mother with a bewildered expression. Incoherent sounds tumbled from his lips, the boy's mouth opening and closing in quick succession. Maddie remained unfazed, waiting patiently for an answer. Once the teen saw that the woman in front of him was deadly serious, he answered, "Yeah, they're real. Why wouldn't they be real exactly?"

"You've been acting strange lately, Danny." Maddie started, expressing her unease for the first time outwardly. "You've been talking to air, and I'm sure you would've brought Sam and Tucker over by now, if they were real. I thought it all might've been something you did for comedic purposes, but now it's starting to concern me, Danny. Is there something going on at school? Maybe somewhere else?"

The teen looked surprised, but it wasn't directed at what his mother was asking. Maddie watched curiously as Danny looked back down at the table, looking the slightest bit pleased by something. In fact, she thought she might've heard him mumble, "So they did notice…" It only confused the woman more. Why would Danny be happy with his parents noticing something like this? Wouldn't he have wanted to keep it a secret?

Then again, it's not like Danny had made a huge effort at hiding his habit. Sure, he'd tone it down if you were in the same room as him, only smiling at the quiet and holding back his tongue from saying anything outright, but as soon as he thought you might even be the slightest bit out of earshot, Danny's mouth ran like the roadrunner. Hell, sometimes he went as far as to yell.

Something wasn't entirely adding up. It was confusing, and Maddie hated being confused.

Looking up, the mother saw Danny's lips fighting to twitch upwards, only he refused to let them. Maddie frowned at that, but listened as Danny asked, "Mom, do you remember when we first moved into this house, and I developed those imaginary friends that ended up not being imaginary friends at all…?"

Oh _shit_ , please God, _no_. He was supposed to grow out of that.

Maddie opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. She was entirely speechless, as that was all Danny had to say to make her understand. The teen boy seemed to realize this, and he smiled, expressing his nervousness with the simple action. Maddie continued to open and close her mouth, her mind drawing blank slates again and again. Danny only smiled some more before gesturing to the air behind him, "Yeah, well, Sam and Tucker are standing by the counter. They say hi, by the way."

Unconcerned, Danny looked over his shoulder briefly, his grin becoming the slightest bit relaxed as he listened to something that was beyond Maddie's capability. He chuckled for a moment before turning his head back around. Far from worried, Danny said, "Sam and Tuck say they're sorry for worrying you. So am I. I should've told you sooner that I never grew out of seeing ghosts."

* * *

 **Maddie's having a bad day. Could you tell? XD**

 **Anyways, ok, wow, the response from last chapter was _astonishing_. Thus, I will come back to that AU sometime in the future, though I'm not sure when. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though! See you guys soon?**

 **Thanks to these people for favoriting/following:** ** _Danny and Kris, Mirria1, Lectori Salutem, Blue Crystal Waters, Em's New Name, J of Darkness, The Voices in Your Head, italylikespasta12, Taiski, Loyal-LeoBlade, Lilyqz, kittykruger, Et Qui Metit, Devinely, DarkDragon2267, the-darker-side-of-things, Nicky-Pickle-25, SecondStar25, Pokemaster22, fifibear0, koyboy, Not-Gonna-Update._**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Guest(1): Aw, thank you~! I'm glad it blew you away so you couldn't express how awesome you thought it was! :D**

 **Hybrid: I guess that's good for me but not you... Huh. XD Glad you liked it?**


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